Mission Man and Mellette County Woman Sentenced in Burglary and Homicide Case
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man and a Mellette County, South Dakota, woman, in a case that involved charges of Second Degree Murder, First Degree Burglary, and related firearms offenses.
Sativa Looking Cloud, age 21, pleaded guilty on January 18, 2023, to Second Degree Murder and First Degree Burglary. On May 8, 2023, Looking Cloud was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Stephen Fallis, age 30, pleaded guilty on January 19, 2023, to Possession of a Stolen Firearm and Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. On May 1, 2023, he was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and order to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crimes Victim Fund.
Looking Cloud and Fallis will also forfeit ownership of all firearms and ammunition seized in the case. Restitution may also be ordered. Looking Cloud and Fallis were indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2022.
The case stemmed from two separate incidents that occurred in Mellette County in February of 2022. In the early morning hours of February 16, 2022, Looking Cloud and Fallis went to a residence in Mellette County. Both were in possession of handguns. Looking Cloud entered the residence without permission and argued with the occupants. She then produced a 9mm handgun and fired multiple shots in the direction of the occupants, causing them to flee into another room. Looking Cloud and Fallis then departed the residence in their vehicle. The occupants of the residence called 911.
On the morning of February 17, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Fallis’s Todd County residence, seizing multiple firearms, including two firearms bearing obliterated serial numbers.
On the evening of February 17, 2022, Fallis and Looking Cloud were at a residence in Mellette County. Looking Cloud got into an argument with a woman and produced 9mm handgun. She fired a single shot at the woman at point blank range, striking her in the chest. Looking Cloud and Fallis fled the residence. The occupants of the residence heard the gunshot and called 911. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the early morning hours of February 18, 2022, Looking Cloud was arrested in Mellette County. The 9mm handgun used by Looking Cloud was seized as evidence.
On March 1, 2023, Fallis was located at a residence in Vermillion, South Dakota, and placed under arrest. A 9mm handgun was seized from his person. Fallis admitted to being an unlawful user of controlled substances.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, U.S. Marshals Service, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Vermillion Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Looking Cloud and Fallis were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
