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Press Release

Dupree Man Indicted on Murder and Firearm Charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Dakota

United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Dupree, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for First Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.

Stuart Cochran, Sr, age 48, was indicted on July 11, 2022.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on July 11, 2022, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

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

The Indictment alleges that June 25, 2022, in Dewey County, South Dakota, Cochran willfully, deliberately, maliciously, and with premeditation and malice aforethought killed a man by shooting him with a handgun.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The charges are merely accusations and Cochran is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the FBI.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller is prosecuting the case.   

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

Updated July 12, 2022

Topics
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Violent Crime
Indian Country Law and Justice
Firearms Offenses