A South Dakota man admitted to hitting a woman in the head with a can. She later died. However, the defense argued that the woman's poor health and alcoholism were the main contributing factors to her death.
In October, 44-year-old Pedro Simmental pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in connection with a November 2023 physical confrontation with 40-year-old Edriha Little. Authorities said Little died after Simmental hit her in the head with a can of food. beans.
Simmental's lawyers argued that the circumstances made him more vulnerable to the “single reckless blow” to the head that ultimately caused his death.
On Monday, Seventh Circuit Judge Joshua Hendrickson sentenced Simmental to 15 years in prison. Both the prosecution and defense recommended a sentence of 15 years in prison.
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Simmental and Little got into an argument on the night of Nov. 8.
Kero TV Simmental admitted to law enforcement investigators that he “may have hit the victim in the left side of the head with the can,” the report said.
When police arrived at the crime scene, they found Little unconscious and with multiple bruises on his head, neck and face. She was rushed to the hospital. However, Little was pronounced dead from his injuries hours later.
According to kota tvThe defense said Little's blood alcohol level at the time of his death was 0.474 percent.
Pennington County State's Attorney said: statement Hendrickson acknowledged many challenges in the case, particularly the victim's poor health prior to the attack, police said.
During the trial, Mr. Simmental's lawyers cited several of the victim's pre-existing health conditions, including that Mr. Little was a “severe alcoholic” and that years of heavy drinking may have caused the hematoma. emphasized. kota tv.
Defense lawyer Connor Duffy cited statements from two coroners who argued that severe alcoholism caused the hematoma after the head blow. Medical examiners noted that Little had “minimal external signs of trauma.”
The state's doctor claimed her hematoma was “spontaneous.”
Simmental's lawyers argued that the circumstances made him more vulnerable to the “single reckless blow” to the head that ultimately caused his death.
But Senior Deputy State's Attorney Roxanne Hammond expressed concern about Simmental's lack of accountability.
During his interrogation, Simmental reportedly stated that he “accepted little responsibility for his role in her death.”
However, Simmental stressed in court that he was responsible for his actions that led to Little's death.
Little's niece told the court that her aunt was a caring and thoughtful person and accused Simmental of routinely abusing the victim. The niece asked Judge Hendrickson to impose a long sentence so Simmental would not be able to “do this to other women or their families.”
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