Parmelee Man Sentenced for Involuntary Manslaughter

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Parmelee, South Dakota man convicted of involuntary manslaughter and aiding and abetting was sentenced on August 26, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Nathaniel Red Bird, age 33, was sentenced to 15 months of custody, 18 months of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Red Bird was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 16, 2013, and pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and aiding and abetting on June 4, 2013.

In the early morning hours of August 14, 2011, in Mission, South Dakota, Red Bird and a co-defendant were highly intoxicated and went to sleep in the same bed with the victim, their 7-month-old child. The next morning, Red Bird awoke and realized the child was not breathing. A medical opinion indicated the child died of asphyxia due to parental overlaying while co-sleeping with the intoxicated parents.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie H. Ruettgers.

Red Bird was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to begin serving his sentence.