United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Manderson, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly using a blunt object to kill another man at Manderson on Aug. 2, 2013.
Leonard David Yankton, a/k/a Lenny Yankton, age 37, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 13, 2013, for second-degree murder. Yankton appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on Aug. 22, 2013, and pled not guilty to the indictment. The maximum penalty upon conviction is life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The charge is merely an accusation and Yankton is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman is prosecuting the case.
Yankton was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal. A trial date has not yet been set.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
