PIERRE, S.D. (KELO)– After a three-day jury trial, a Lower Brule man was sentenced for voluntary manslaughter, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Dakota.

32-year-old Joseph Thompson was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in federal prison and ordered to pay $3,550 in restitution to the victim’s family.

On March 25, 2023, Thompson was at an acquaintance’s home when he heard a disturbance outside. He went outside, walked around the corner of the home and saw a man standing near the house. Thompson was armed with a knife and stabbed the man five times, piercing his heart. The victim did not have a weapon on him when he was fatally stabbed by Thompson.

This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal
statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country, be
prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.