In the late summer of 2022, the life of Paul Henry Billion, a 36-year-old White / Caucasian male, was cut short in what would become the first homicide in Sioux Falls that year. Authorities were called to a residence on the 1300 block of South Duluth Avenue for a death investigation shortly before 9 P.M. on a Friday night. Inside, they discovered Billion's body. An autopsy later confirmed that he had died from a single gunshot wound to the torso. Investigators believe he may have been killed on the night of Tuesday, August 16, or in the early morning of Wednesday, August 17, several days before his father would tragically find him deceased in his kitchen.
The investigation into the death of Paul Billion led authorities to delve into a world of stolen guns and drugs. It was determined that the motive for the deadly encounter was a robbery that had taken a violent turn. The gun used in the homicide was one of four that had been reported stolen from a truck earlier that year. Through the use of surveillance camera footage and tracking social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, law enforcement was able to identify three teenage suspects.
By December 2022, three individuals, an 18-year-old and two 19-year-olds, were in custody at the Minnehaha County Jail, facing first-degree murder charges. The suspects were identified as Gabau, Thomas Tarly, and Soteemon Poley. A fourth man was also arrested in connection with the stolen firearms. In court, it was revealed that after the robbery, the suspects divided a stash of marijuana that they had taken from Billion's apartment. Prosecutors indicated they believed Gabau was the individual who pulled the trigger. In October 2023, Soteemon Poley, one of the teens charged, entered into a plea agreement. In exchange for having the murder charge dropped, he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. As part of his deal, which came with a recommended sentence cap of 50 years, Poley was required to testify against the other individuals involved in the case.
