SEVEN YEARS LATER: TWO SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR MURDER OF 15-YEAR-OLD BOY

More than seven years after a 15-year-old South Dakota boy was lured from his home and killed, the two people responsible are finally facing decades behind bars.

Dillion Millard, 27, and Charmaine Medicine, 31, have each been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the 2019 killing, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota.

Both will also serve five years of supervised release after completing their prison sentences.

 THE NIGHT THE TEENAGER DISAPPEARED

The killing happened during the early morning hours of July 9, 2019, on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation.

Federal prosecutors say Millard and Medicine picked up the teenager from his home after telling him they were going to drink alcohol together.

They drove him to a nearby park before walking with him into a secluded area.

What began as an invitation to spend time together would end in a fatal attack.

PROSECUTORS SAY THE TEENAGER WAS STRANGLED

According to federal prosecutors, the teenager became intoxicated while drinking with Millard and Medicine.

Prosecutors say Millard then placed his hands around the boy’s neck and strangled him.

After the teenager stopped struggling, prosecutors allege Millard dragged his body to a nearby tree and used the boy’s own belt to tie him by the neck to a branch.

Millard and Medicine then left the scene.

But according to prosecutors, they would return hours later.

 AN ALLEGED ATTEMPT TO DESTROY EVIDENCE

Investigators say the pair returned to the location later that morning.

Prosecutors allege they poured oil over the teenager’s body and set it on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence of the killing.

The following afternoon, hikers discovered the teenager’s burned body.

His family was left waiting years for answers about what had happened.

 THE CASE REMAINED UNSOLVED FOR YEARS

For nearly five years, investigators continued working to determine who was responsible.

Then came a major breakthrough.

In May 2024, Millard confessed to investigators about what he and Medicine had done, according to federal prosecutors.

A federal grand jury subsequently indicted the pair in June 2024.

The confession finally gave investigators a path toward resolving a case that had remained open for years.

 BOTH DEFENDANTS PLEADED GUILTY

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

Medicine later pleaded guilty in May 2026.

Both were ultimately sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

They will also face five years of supervised release after their prison terms.

The sentences bring a significant legal conclusion to a case that had haunted the victim’s family for more than seven years.

 “SOME MEASURE OF JUSTICE”

U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons expressed sorrow over the circumstances of the killing while emphasizing the importance of finally holding those responsible accountable.

He said the crime demonstrated a deeply disturbing level of cruelty, while noting that the victim’s family could finally have answers.

For a family that had spent years without knowing exactly what happened, the guilty pleas and lengthy sentences represent a measure of closure — even though nothing can undo the loss.

 A CASE THAT TOOK YEARS TO SOLVE

The teenager was only 15 years old when he left home that night.

Seven years later, the investigation has resulted in two federal convictions and decades-long prison sentences.

The case serves as another reminder of how long investigators may continue pursuing answers after a violent crime — and how a single breakthrough can eventually transform an unsolved investigation.

 SEVEN YEARS OF QUESTIONS. TWO GUILTY PLEAS. SIX DECADES BEHIND BARS.

For the victim’s family, the most important question may finally have an answer:

Who was responsible for the teenager’s killing?

Millard and Medicine are now headed to federal prison, where each will spend the next three decades serving their sentences. ⚖️