South Dakota man charged in 2013 death of girlfriend takes plea offer, avoiding murder charge
RAPID CITY, S.D. — More than a decade after a tourist found the decomposing body of 38-year-old woman in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the boyfriend accused of her murder took a plea offer the day before trial.
RAPID CITY, S.D. — More than a decade after a tourist found the decomposing body of 38-year-old woman in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the boyfriend accused of her murder took a plea offer the day before trial.
Meshell Will was reported missing in August 2013 and was discovered four days later. Richard Schmitz, 55, was arrested nearly eight years later in 2021 and was charged with second-degree murder.
On Tuesday, Schmitz entered an Alford plea — acknowledging the state has enough evidence to convict him while maintaining his innocence — to second-degree manslaughter, a felony with up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, the Rapid City Journal reported.
In exchange, the state agreed to drop the second-degree murder charge, which carries a mandatory life sentence. Second-degree manslaughter is the reckless killing of another person.
Deputy Pennington County State’s Attorney Roxanne Hammond said that Schmitz “at the very minimum” recklessly caused Will’s death.
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