A Wakpala woman was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for killing her mother in a brutal stabbing attack on Christmas Eve 2024.
Malania Rose Fast Horse, 25, of Wakpala, South Dakota, was found guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter in federal court on June 23, 2025, after a guilty plea on March 6, 2025.
The violent crime took place inside the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, where Fast Horse quarreled with her mother before losing her temper and stabbing her multiple times in the chest, arm, and hand.
After the attack, Fast Horse calmly walked to her grandmother’s home next door, told her family what she had done, and then went back outside to grab some cigarettes before leaving the scene.
It was Fast Horse’s brother who discovered their mother lying in a pool of blood on the floor, alive but incoherent, and alerted authorities.
Despite prompt medical attention, Fast Horse’s mother later succumbed to her injuries, leaving behind a family shaken by the senseless violence.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem, who worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring justice to the victim and her family.
Fast Horse was remanded immediately to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following her sentencing, and will serve 13 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandated that the case be prosecuted in federal court, rather than state court, due to the violent nature of the crime and the fact that it took place within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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