Supreme Court Orders Yankton Man To Be Resentenced For Downtown Murder

Supreme Court Orders Yankton Man To Be Resentenced For Downtown Murder

The South Dakota Supreme Court Thursday has ordered a Yankton man to be resentenced for manslaughter.

According to court documents, Jameson Mitchell pleaded guilty in late 2019 to fatally shooting Lucas Smith outside a Yankton bar. On April 6th, 2019, the Yankton Police Department was called to the downtown area for a report of a male with a gunshot wound. Court documents indicate there had been an altercation inside Mojo’s between Mitchell and Smith.

Police said that surveillance video of the altercation showed Mitchell approached Smith in the game room at Mojo’s and, soon after, appeared to push him. Lucas pushed back and a fight ensued. The three were removed from the bar where the argument continued outside

According to a witness, Smith and Mitchell came into contact one last time in a nearby alley where Lucas was shot by an armed Mitchell who was walking down the alley pointing the gun in front of him.

A circuit judge sentenced Mitchell back in late 2019 to 124 years in prison, more than twice the amount of time the state recommended.

In a decision, South Dakota Supreme Court Justice Mark Salter said the circuit court “effectively treated Mitchell as solely responsible for Smith’s killing without considering Smith’s own criminal conduct.”