The three victims allegedly shot and killed by a former South Dakota mayor on Memorial Day have been identified, and a motive has also been revealed.
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, the three men killed were 21-year-old Zach Francas, 26-year-old Paul Francas and 35-year-old Timothy Richmond. The altercation between the three and former Centreville Mayor Jay Ostrem, 64, was sparked by an alleged sexual assault of Ostrem’s wife.
The victim, Zach Francas, called a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher at 9:44 p.m. Monday from his Centerville home to report that his brother had been shot and killed by a man with a shotgun who had returned to the home. A short time later, Zach told the dispatcher he had been shot, then remained silent.
“I heard a pop,” witness Mark Weetz said. Local TV station KELO. “I think I heard about five gunshots, so I looked out the window, looked around and started recording. There were people running down Main Street here. One of them surrendered about a block down and was arrested by police.”
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Jay Ostrem, 64, is charged in connection with the triple murder that occurred on Memorial Day. (Turner County Sheriff’s Office)
According to court documents, Game, Fish and Parks officers responded to Ostrem leaving a home on Main Street and initially ignored orders to stop, but eventually lay on the ground. The suspect had blood coming from his left hand, smelled of alcohol and was found in possession of a .380-caliber handgun and an AR-style rifle containing spent shotgun shells and spent rifle shells.
The three victims were found deceased inside the home.
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Minnehaha County Jail, where 64-year-old Jay Ostrem is being held on suspicion of a Memorial Day triple murder. (Google Maps)
Officers then went to Ostrem’s home, where his wife told investigators that she had been drinking with Paul Francas on the day of the incident, May 23, when he forcibly kissed her and exposed his genitals to her, court documents state. After receiving the news, Ostrem allegedly “became enraged and stormed out of the home” and did not say where he was going.
Ostrem previously served as a city council member and mayor of Centreville, a city in Turner County, according to local reports, and was also a deputy with the Turner County Sheriff’s Office, according to KELO.
Shows the relationship between Centreville and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Google Maps)
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The South Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the triple homicide with assistance from numerous local agencies.
Ostrem is being held in the Minnehaha County Jail. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday at 4 p.m., according to online court records.
