Burleigh County, North Dakota Burleigh County, North Dakota Burleigh County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 81,308, making it the second-most populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat is Bismarck, the state capital. The county was created on January 4, 1873 and later organized on July 16. Burleigh County is included in the Bismarck, ND Metropolitan Statistical Area, commonly called "Bismarck–Mandan". According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.1%) is water. As of the 2010 census, there were
Capital punishment in North Dakota Capital punishment in North Dakota Capital punishment was abolished in the U.S. state of North Dakota in 1973. Historically, a total of eight people have been executed in North Dakota, including one execution prior to North Dakota attaining statehood. According to the North Dakota Penal Code, the imposing of sentences was handed to a jury, with the suggested punishment for first-degree murder being death by hanging or life imprisonment. Until 1903 executions were carried out in public. The first private execution was that of John Rooney, who was hanged inside the Cass County prison on October 17, 1905. Rooney was