United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon was sentenced on March 4, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Lawrence Gary, Jr., age 20, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Gary was indicted on Feb. 14, 2018. He pled guilty on August 7, 2018.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred around midnight on the evening of Jan. 20, 2018. On that evening, the Defendant was at a social gathering at a residence in the Two Strike Community near Rosebud. The victim, an adult man, was also present. At some point, Gary and the victim got into an argument and Gary began assaulting the victim, striking him with his hands and fists. The victim fell to the floor and Gary kicked and stomped the victim multiple times with shod feet. He further struck the victim multiple times with a saucepan. The Defendant also stabbed the victim in the middle of his back, between his shoulder blades, with a knife. After he assaulted the victim, Gary left him lying on the floor and departed the house.
The stab wound severed the victim’s spinal cord and left him paralyzed from the chest down. Around noon on Jan. 21, 2018, the victim was discovered lying on the floor of the residence. He was transported by ambulance to the Rosebud Indian Health Services Hospital, and subsequently transferred to Rapid City Regional Hospital. He was thereafter placed in a nursing home.
On Oct. 24, 2018, while Gary was pending sentencing, the victim passed away. An autopsy determined that the stab wound inflicted by Gary was the proximate cause of the victim’s death.
The case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Gary 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
