United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of Alexis Wounded, a 26-year-old woman from Oglala, South Dakota. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler sentenced Wounded to five years and ten months in federal prison for voluntary manslaughter. This will be followed by three years of supervised release, and she is required to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund along with restitution.
Wounded was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2024 and pleaded guilty on December 11, 2024. The case involves the stabbing of her partner, Roger Big Crow, on April 21, 2024, near Pine Ridge after an argument escalated. Big Crow died from the stab wound inflicted by Wounded, who was intoxicated at the time. Initially claiming that Big Crow fell onto the knife, Wounded later admitted to intentionally stabbing him but stated there was no specific intent or plan to kill him.
The prosecution of this case fell under federal jurisdiction due to the Major Crimes Act, which requires certain violent crimes occurring in Indian country to be prosecuted federally rather than at the state level.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox led the prosecution.
Following her sentencing on March 17, 2025, Wounded was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.