Rapid City Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Voluntary Manslaughter

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Robert A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on August 1, 2024.

Lucy Medicine Eagle, age 33, was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Medicine Eagle was indicted by a federal grand jury in June of 2022. She pleaded guilty on April 26, 2024.

On March 28, 2022, Medicine Eagle was at a residence in St. Francis, in the Rosebud Reservation, drinking alcohol with family members and had a verbal argument with her adult brother. She thought her brother had stolen and pawned her Xbox gaming console, but it was actually simply misplaced and sitting behind a couch on the premises. Not knowing this, Medicine Eagle struck and punched her brother in the face and head numerous times. He told her to stop, but she did not stop and he put his arms up in a defensive position as she continued to strike him. She stopped striking him when other household members intervened. By that time, the brother had suffered severe head injuries and was soon unresponsive. He was transported to Monument Health in Rapid City where he was kept alive on life support machines. He died on April 1, 2022 and his cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma injuries to the head.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Maher prosecuted the case.

Medicine Eagle was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal to serve her sentence.