Phillip Pond, Second Degree Murder, South Dakota 2020

Man Charged with Second Degree Murder in Rapid City

A Rapid City man has been charged with Second Degree Murder and Discharging, Brandishing, or Possessing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, following a shooting at Pine Ridge on November 22, 2020. Phillip Pond, age 39, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on March 3, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction for each charge is up to life in prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The charges relate to Pond shooting and killing a man at Pine Ridge on November 22, 2020. The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case.

Pond was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has been set for April 27, 2021.

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

Phillip Pond, a 39-year-old Rapid City man, has been charged with Second Degree Murder and Discharging, Brandishing, or Possessing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. The charges carry a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, 5 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama, and the investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Phillip Pond is currently in custody pending trial.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/rapid-city-man-charged-second-degree-murder