Pine Ridge Man Receives 35-Year Sentence for Second Degree Murder

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Second Degree Murder was sentenced by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Ricky Bagola, age 34, was sentenced on April 6, 2021, to 35 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each charge.

Bagola was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2020.  On the morning of January 3, 2020, Bagola and two others went to a residence in Pine Ridge to confront an individual about being shorted methamphetamine.  Bagola was denied entry into the home by the occupants.  Bagola used his .22 caliber firearm to shoot seven rounds into the home, two of which struck and killed the victim.

This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.

Bagola was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.