United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man was charged in federal district court with Second Degree Murder.
Colton Bagola, age 26, was charged on Dec. 20, 2019. Bagola appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on Dec. 23, 2019, and pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charge relates to Bagola killing a man by shooting him in the head in December 2019 at Pine Ridge. The charge is merely an accusation and Bagola is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan J. Poppen and Gina S. Nelson are prosecuting the case.
Bagola was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
