Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced the sentencing of a Rapid City man for voluntary manslaughter. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler sentenced Luke Standing Bear, 19, to eight years in federal prison on June 18, 2025. Following his prison term, Standing Bear will undergo three years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Standing Bear was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2024 and pleaded guilty on March 21, 2025. The incident occurred on July 6, 2024, in the Eastridge community of Pine Ridge. Standing Bear engaged in an altercation with several men in his neighborhood and was told by one of them to go home. He returned armed with a knife after initially being disarmed by bystanders and stabbed the victim once in the ribs during a subsequent confrontation.
The victim sustained severe injuries from the stabbing, including damage to internal organs and the aorta. Despite surviving transportation to a hospital in Rapid City, the victim died during surgery.
The case fell under federal jurisdiction due to the Major Crimes Act, which requires certain violent crimes occurring in Indian country to be prosecuted federally rather than at the state level.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox led the prosecution. After sentencing, Standing Bear was placed into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
