United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault with Intent to Commit Murder was sentenced on September 9, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Ross Dean Farrell, age 21, was sentenced to 121 months of imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Farrell was indicted for the above charge by a federal grand jury on Oct. 16, 2012, and pled guilty on May 28, 2013.
The charge stems from an incident occurring on October 8, 2012, in which Farrell was socializing with the victim and others at his home. At some point in the evening, the victim went to sleep on a mattress on the floor. Farrell, outraged by a perceived slight he had received from either the victim or another person, found the victim and pulled him off the mattress onto the cement floor and proceeded to repeatedly stomp the victim on the head and face with his feet.
At the time of the attack, Farrell intended to kill the victim, as shown by the severity of the attack. The victim suffered major injuries, including severe head trauma which required emergency surgeries and had to be placed in a medically induced coma.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Farrell was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
