SD Supreme Court upholds teenager sentenced to 40 years

The SD Supreme Court rejected Mr. Ronald Black Cloud's appeal from his forty year sentence for second degree murder in STATE v. BLACK CLOUD, 2023 S.D. 53. The shooting took place after an altercation outside the victim's residence in Rapid City on August 17, 2018. In South Dakota, second degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence. However, mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders who are tried as adults was ruled unconstitutional since 2012, and the defendant was only 14 at the time. Another teenager involved in the killing agreed to plead guilty to a similar charge and was sentenced to twenty years. The primary issues on appeal were whether or not the sentence was too harsh under the circumstances and whether Judge Brown should have declared a mistrial due to certain statements from the lawyers. The case was argued by the SD attorney generals office and the Pennington County Public Defender. Mr. Black Cloud will be eligible for parole when he is 34 years old.

This case discusses the process of bringing violent juvenile cases before an adult court. Juvenile Courts only have jurisdiction over a juvenile offender until the age of 18, which can be extended to age 21. Read the full decision at https://ujs.sd.gov/uploads/sc/opinions/29946930d487.pdf