Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Voluntary Manslaughter

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on February 3, 2023.

Julian James Hard Heart, 20, was sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Hard Heart was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Hard Heart was indicted for Second Degree Murder by a federal grand jury in January of 2022. He pleaded guilty on October 21, 2022.

The conviction stems from Hard Heart shooting another person after a verbal altercation on November 28, 2021, in Pine Ridge. The victim succumbed to his injuries.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

Hard Heart was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.