Pine Ridge Woman Indicted for Murder

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, woman for Second Degree Murder.

Stacey Bissonette, age 26, was indicted in July of 2023. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on July 26, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

In June of 2023, near Pine Ridge, Bissonette killed a man by stabbing him.

The charge is merely an accusation and Bissonette is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

This matter is being 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.

The investigation is being conducted by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins is prosecuting the case. 

Bissonette was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.