YEARS AFTER A TEEN WAS FOUND TIED TO A TREE AND BURNED, TWO PEOPLE ARE FINALLY SENTENCED

For nearly five years, the killing of 15-year-old Alize Millard remained a haunting mystery on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

His body had been discovered by hikers in July 2019 — tied to a tree and burned.

Now, the case has finally reached its sentencing stage.

Dillion Millard, 27, and Charmaine Medicine, 31, have each been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for their roles in the teenager’s death. They will also serve five years of supervised release after leaving prison.

A NIGHT THAT ENDED IN MURDER

According to federal prosecutors, the events began during the early morning hours of July 9, 2019.

Millard and Medicine picked up Alize from his home, telling him they were going to drink alcohol together.

They drove to a nearby park on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation before walking with the teenager to a secluded area.

There, prosecutors said, Alize became intoxicated.

What happened next would remain hidden for years.

 THE TEENAGER WAS STRANGLED

Federal authorities said Millard strangled Alize.

After the teenager died, prosecutors said Millard dragged his body to a nearby tree and used a belt to secure him to a branch.

The pair then left the area.

But they would return.

And what happened next made an already horrifying crime even more disturbing.

 THEY CAME BACK HOURS LATER

Several hours after leaving the scene, prosecutors said Millard and Medicine returned.

According to the Justice Department, they poured oil onto Alize’s body and set it on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence.

The teenager’s body was discovered by hikers the following afternoon.

For Alize’s family, the nightmare had begun — but the answers would take years to arrive.

 FIVE YEARS OF QUESTIONS

The case remained under investigation for almost five years.

Then, in May 2024, investigators finally got the break they had been waiting for.

Millard confessed to his role in the killing and implicated Medicine.

Both defendants were subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024.

Millard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in August 2025.

Medicine entered the same plea in May 2026.

 WHY THIS BECAME A FEDERAL CASE

The murder occurred on tribal land, on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation.

That distinction matters legally.

Under the federal Major Crimes Act, certain serious crimes committed in Indian Country fall under federal jurisdiction.

As a result, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case rather than leaving it solely to state authorities.

 “I’LL NEVER FORGIVE DILLION”

For Alize’s family, the sentencing cannot undo what happened.

His mother, Jamie Millard, said she wants her son to be remembered for his “beautiful smile.”

His grandmother, Mary Gibbs, described the loss as incredibly difficult and said she would never forgive Dillion for what he took away from their family.

Those words underline what can sometimes disappear behind court documents:

Alize was not simply a name in a homicide investigation.

He was a teenager with a family who loved him.

 AN ANSWER, BUT NOT AN ENDING

U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons said the crime represented a profound act of inhumanity, while acknowledging that the convictions at least gave Alize’s family some answers and a measure of justice.

But the passage of nearly five years raises another question:

Why did it take so long for investigators to learn what happened?

The case remained unresolved until Millard’s confession finally broke the silence.

 A FAMILY CAN FINALLY REMEMBER HIM

Alize’s death shocked his community in 2019.

For years, his loved ones were left with grief and unanswered questions.

Now, two people responsible for his death are facing decades behind bars.

The sentence does not erase the tragedy.

It does not bring Alize back.

But after years of uncertainty, his family finally knows how his final hours unfolded — and those responsible have been held accountable in federal court.30 years each.

Nearly five years before the breakthrough.

One 15-year-old boy whose life was cut short.

And a family left to carry his memory long after the courtroom doors close.