A Fort Thompson man has been charged with voluntary manslaughter.
According to US Attorney Randy Seiler, 31 year old Zachery Lee Ziegler was indicted on June 14th and pled not guilty to the charge at that time.
The indictment alleges that on May 23rd, Ziegler, upon a sudden quarrel and heat of passion unlawfully killed another human being. Court documents state that Ziegler did unlawfully kill Thomas Witt by striking him and beating him in Fort Thompson. Ziegler struck Witt in the head with his fists, incapacitating Witt on the ground. A witness at the scene reported seeing Ziegler kick at Witt while he was incapacitated on the ground. Witt was transported to the Chamberlain hospital, where he was later pronounced dead due to blunt force injury to the head.
The charge is merely an accusation and Ziegler is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 15 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, along 3 years of supervised release.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Ziegler was released on bond. A trial date has not been set.
(KCCR)