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# Federal Murder Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-murder-sentences-district-of-south-dakota/
- Published: 2026-11-04T11:07:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-04T11:07:36.000Z
- Description: 51 people were sentenced for murder in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 51 received a prison term. The median was 240 months (20 years), the same as across all 94 federal districts. 7 people received a life sentence, and 24% of sentences were above the guideline ran
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Federal Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–20](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-south-dakota/) › Murder: District of South Dakota

**In brief:** 51 people were sentenced for murder in the District of South Dakota in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 51 received a prison term. The median was 240 months (20 years), the same as across all 94 federal districts. 7 people received a life sentence, and 24% of sentences were above the guideline range.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 51 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Prison Terms and Life Sentences

All 51 (100%) were sent to prison. A quarter received 433.5 months or more, and a quarter received 180 months or less. 7 received a life sentence.

Across all 94 districts, 3,754 people were sentenced for murder, and the median was 240 months, the same as here. For all offenses in the District of South Dakota, the median was 36 months. Murder cases are 1% of the 5,041 people sentenced in the district.

## Guilty Pleas Were Less Common Than for Other Offenses

37 of 51 (73%) pleaded guilty, and 14 were convicted after a trial. Across all districts, 78% of murder cases ended in a guilty plea. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 95%.

The median prison term was 210 months after a guilty plea and 470 months after a trial. The trial figure rests on 14 people. The records show the difference but not its cause. Every guilty plea had a written plea agreement.

## Sentences Above the Guideline Range

The advisory guideline range is the range a judge calculates for each case. 61% of sentences (31) were within it, and 24% (12) were above it. 10% (5) were below it at the government's request, and 6% (3) were below it without a government request.

Across all districts, 39% of murder sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, the figure was 57%.

## Which Guidelines Were Used

The most common primary guideline was §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder), used in 37 cases. §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) was used in 7, and §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder) in 5.

A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 11 of the 51 people (22%).

## Few Cases in Each Year

25 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 26 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025\. Yearly counts range from 1 to 9 people.

Yearly medians range from 180 months in fiscal year 2017 to 470 months in fiscal year 2020\. The 470 months in fiscal year 2020 comes from 3 people. In fiscal year 2025, 0 of 2 people pleaded guilty. These counts are too small to show a trend.

| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
| ----------- | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- |
| 2016        | 4                | 210 months    | 4 of 4         |
| 2017        | 5                | 180 months    | 5 of 5         |
| 2018        | 9                | 300 months    | 8 of 9         |
| 2019        | 7                | 240 months    | 5 of 7         |
| 2020        | 3                | 470 months    | 1 of 3         |
| 2021        | 1                | 420 months    | 1 of 1         |
| 2022        | 7                | 252 months    | 5 of 7         |
| 2023        | 5                | 365 months    | 3 of 5         |
| 2024        | 8                | 280 months    | 5 of 8         |
| 2025        | 2                | 294 months    | 0 of 2         |

## After Prison and Other Orders

44 people (86%) were ordered to serve supervised release after prison, with a median term of 60 months. Restitution was ordered for 18 (35%), and a fine for 0.

In criminal history, 61% were in the lowest category I and 6% in the highest VI.

## What the Records Cannot Show

The Commission counts only people who were convicted and sentenced. Acquittals and dismissals are not in the data. Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota is in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these federal figures.

### How We Counted

Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of South Dakota (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "South Dakota") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (51). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.

Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.

### What to Keep in Mind

**No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct.** Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987\. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.

**Federal supervised release.** Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.

**Who decides the sentence, and under what rules.** Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.

**Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.

**How life sentences and "time served" are counted.** In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.

**Mandatory minimum sentences.** Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.

## Related Analysis

- [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [Federal Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-district-district-of-south-dakota/) (overview)
- [Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-trafficking-sentences-district-of-south-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-firearms-sentences-district-of-south-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Assault Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-assault-sentences-district-of-south-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [Federal Obscenity and Other Sex Offense Sentences in the District of South Dakota, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-obscenity-other-sex-offenses-sentences-district-of-south-dakota/) (same district, other offense type)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)

**About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.