⏱ 2 min read
A brutal stabbing on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota has ended with Frank White Thunder, 38, being sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for Second Degree Murder. On the evening of October 22, 2024, White Thunder and his co-defendants, Jesse White Thunder, 41, and Michael Leader Charge, 25, drove to a residence in the Antelope housing community near Mission, where the violence unfolded. The motive behind the attack is unclear, but the outcome was deadly.
According to trial evidence, Frank White Thunder confronted the victim outside the residence and stabbed him in the torso with a martial-arts style sword, mortally wounding him. Jesse White Thunder stood nearby and took items from the victim’s pockets after the attack. The victim later died from his injuries.
Frank White Thunder was sentenced on May 18, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte, who also ordered him to pay a $600 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. His co-defendants, Jesse White Thunder and Michael Leader Charge, pleaded guilty to Accessory After the Fact to Assault With a Dangerous Weapon and received sentences of three years and five months and six months in federal prison, respectively.
The case was investigated by federal authorities and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota. The sentences bring closure to the community and justice for the victim and his family.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: South Dakota
- Location: SD
- Source: DOJ Press Release
