South Dakota Supreme Court Issues Decision Upholding Verdict in Child Sexual Abuse Case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that the office’s prosecution and conviction of a Ft. Pierre man for sexual offenses against two young girls was upheld by the South Dakota Supreme Court. The defendant was sentenced to 60 years in prison on charges of rape, sexual contact with a child, and incest involving two different children.

Donnie Edwards was found guilty in August 2024 by a Stanley County jury of four counts of First Degree Rape, one count of Fourth Degree Rape, two counts of Aggravated Incest, one count of Incest, and one count of Sexual Contact with a Child Under the Age of Sixteen. He was sentenced in November 2024.

Edwards appealed his conviction. He argued that he should have been tried separately on the charges of each victim, that the circuit court abused its discretion by denying a motion for a mistrial after the late disclosure of a juror bias, and for denying a motion for a mistrial based on a prosecutor’s question to a witness about the defendant’s past. The Supreme Court, in a Summary Affirmance, rejected all three arguments.

“The South Dakota Supreme Court’s decision affirms the strength of the evidence and the integrity of the judicial process in bringing justice to the victims,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This prosecution and Supreme Court decision sends the message that those who prey on children will be held accountable for their actions.”

Edwards’ appeal was heard last week during Supreme Court oral arguments held at the University of South Dakota Law School. The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office represented the state on the appeal.

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