Hughes County, South Dakota Hughes County, South Dakota Hughes County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,022, making it the least populous capital county in the nation, and the twelfth-most populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Pierre, the state capital. The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1880. It was named for Alexander Hughes, a legislator. Hughes County is part of the Pierre, SD Micropolitan Statistical Area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and
Capital punishment in South Dakota death (there is no retrial). The governor has the power of clemency with respect to death sentences. Death row is located in Sioux Falls. Lethal injection is the only method of execution provided by statutes. First-degree murder is a Class A Felony in South Dakota, punishable by death or life imprisonment. It is the only Class A Felony in the state. It is only punishable by death if it involves any of the following aggravating factors: South Dakota executed four men between 1877 and its admission to the union in 1889, and 10 men between that time and the abolition