Bio

George Sitts was born in 1913 in LeRoy, Minnesota. LeRoy was a small farming town located near the Iowa border. It had a population of just about 724 people. Growing up in a rural area, Sitts developed a strong interest in reading. He enjoyed stories that featured frontier life and adventures. He was particularly fascinated by tales that involved criminals and outlaws.

As a child, Sitts was known to be quiet and well-mannered. He would often hurry home after school to help his grandmother with various chores. He learned how to handle firearms from the stories he read, and he became skilled in using his fists, eventually wanting to become a boxer. Boxing was a popular sport in the 1920s, and Sitts admired famous boxers like Jack Dempsey. He even started boxing himself and was known as "Kid Kramer." He fought in matches in places such as St. Paul, Sioux City, and San Francisco.

At age 19, Sitts got into trouble with the law for receiving stolen property and carrying a concealed weapon. He spent 90 days in jail for this offense. However, this time in jail did not change his behavior. Just three years later, he was sentenced to ten years for burglary. He eventually impressed the parole board with his charm and was released in 1941.

Sitts's freedom was short-lived. He violated his parole the next year and was sent back to prison. While in prison, he made plans to turn his life around. After being released again, he moved to Portland, Oregon, in search of work during World War II, when jobs were easier to find.

Later, Sitts returned to Minneapolis to see a woman he was interested in, only to learn that she had moved to Texas. With money running low and a sense of desperation, he decided to rob a liquor store to fund his journey to Texas. This decision set him on a path that would lead to his arrest and a life sentence in prison.

Murder Story

George Sitts committed three murders between December 1945 and January 1946. On December 12, 1945, he shot Erik Johansson, a liquor store clerk, during a robbery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After this crime, Sitts was apprehended and sentenced to life in prison. While awaiting transfer to the state prison, he escaped from Hennepin County Jail on January 20, 1946, with the help of three other inmates.

After his escape, Sitts stole a car and began traveling through South Dakota. On January 24, 1946, he encountered law enforcement officers Tom Matthews and Sheriff Dave Malcolm while they were conducting a roadblock in Spearfish. Sitts opened fire on the two officers, shooting them both fatally. After the shootings, he fled from the scene.

Sitts was at large for eleven days before being captured near Lysite, Wyoming, on February 5, 1946. He was charged with the murders of Matthews and Malcolm. In March 1946, a jury found him guilty of the murder of Matthews, and he was sentenced to death. The state decided not to try him for Malcolm's murder.

Sitts was executed in South Dakota on April 8, 1947, becoming the only person to die in the state's electric chair. His last words were a remark about his earlier prison escape.