South Dakota Supreme Court upholds murder conviction of Pierre man
November 7, 2022
Mike Tanner
PIERRE, S.D.–The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction of a Pierre man for causing the death of his then-girlfriend’s two-year-old son.
Tristan Larson had appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court arguing that prosecutors should have been barred from using statements he made to a Pierre Police Department Detective and that the Supreme Court should grant him an acquittal.
The Supreme Court last month rejected Larson’s arguments and unanimously upheld his May 28, 2021 convictions for Second Degree Murder and Aggravated Battery of an Infant.
He was sentenced to life in the state penitentiary on the first count and 55 years for the second count.
On April 16, 2020, Larson was home watching his then-girlfriend’s two-year-old son, Easton, while she was at work. Larson shoved Easton with enough force to cause the toddler to die two days later from injuries sustained from the shove.
