Wounded Knee man pleads ‘not guilty’ to killing a woman

Wounded Knee murder suspect made initial Federal Court appearance Friday
Wounded Knee murder suspect made initial Federal Court appearance Friday(Adrian Carbajal)
By Adrian Carbajal
Published: Nov. 20, 2023 at 1:35 PM CST
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - A Wounded Knee man pleaded not guilty in federal court Friday, Nov. 17, to the shooting of a Pine Ridge woman.

Jerel Running Bear is accused of shooting and killing Ashley Valentine on Nov. 9. He was charged with three separate counts: pre-meditated murder, knowingly discharging a firearm with intent of violence and knowingly possessing a firearm by a prohibited person.

If convicted, Running Bear could face up to life in prison on the murder charge. On count two, he could face up to 10 years to be served consecutively on top of count one and another five years if convicted on count three. Running Bear was previously indicted in 2014 for two counts of assaulting a federal officer.

Download the KOTA News App.

Copyright 2023 KOTA. All rights reserved.

Most Read

The Pennington County Sheriffs Office makes their calls for service logs open to the public.
Pennington County Sheriffs Office makes service calls public
Child involved in a hit and run crash on E. Signal Drive.
Child involved in hit and run crash
FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2018, photo, Garth Dallman, center, and Bill Kouchie, right, both from...
Inheritance money in dispute after death of woman who made millions off sale of T-rex remains
Block 5 Project is moving onto the next phase of construction.
Crews are making progress as they move toward next phase of the Block 5 Project
Governor Noem's "Freedom Works Here" campaign numbers are not representative of the bigger...
Economic developers frustrated by ‘misleading’ data from Governor Noem’s “Freedom Works Here” Campaign

Latest News

A training session for first responders, aiming to enhance their skills and know how during...
A training to help first responders deal with livestock
The foundation of an elevator shaft under construction shifted, prompting some road closures.
Part of Block 5 building in danger of collapse
The foundation of an elevator shaft under construction shifted, prompting some road closures.
Part of Block 5 building in danger of collapse
Friday
Clouds with a few flurries tonight
Stop by all six houses featured in the tours, located in Rapid City, Sturgis, and Blucksberg,
Join Sturgis Love INC for the first Christmas Tour of Homes fundraiser