United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Involuntary Manslaughter and Child Abuse.
Chelsea Okiya Wi Nixon, age 22, was indicted on Dec. 11, 2018. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on January 8, 2019, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 15 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that on Aug. 18, 2018, Nixon unlawfully killed another human being, a minor child, by asphyxiating the child in a grossly negligent manner. The Indictment further alleges that Nixon did abuse, expose, torture, torment, and cruelly punish the minor child.
The charges are merely accusations and Nixon is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Elmore is prosecuting the case.
Nixon was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
