PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Supreme Court has ordered a Yankton man be resentenced for manslaughter.
Jameson Mitchell pleaded guilty to fatally shooting Lucas Smith outside a Yankton bar in 2019. The two had fought inside the bar and then were ejected. Mitchell retrieved a handgun from his apartment and returned to the alley outside the bar.
Surveillance video showed Smith charging at Mitchell, shouting for Mitchell to shoot him. A circuit judge sentenced Mitchell to 124 years in prison, more than twice the amount of time the state recommended.
In a decision released Thursday, Justice Mark Salter said the circuit court “effectively treated Mitchell as solely responsible for Smith’s killing without considering Smith’s own criminal conduct.”
