Nova Allen Alexander was a 20-year-old from Rapid City, South Dakota, who was survived by his parents, siblings, and a large extended family. A White male, he was born on June 23, 2001, and his life was cut short on the night of November 29, 2021.
That evening, a gathering was taking place at a trailer home on Marquette Drive in Rapid City. According to court testimony, Alexander was there with about nine other people when Jesse Schmockel arrived with a gun.
Her attorney would later state she had been carrying the weapon for protection after receiving online threats from another woman who was also at the residence. A burst of gunfire erupted, and in the aftermath, three people had been shot. Alexander’s injuries were fatal. Two other individuals were also struck and transported for medical care with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The Rapid City Police Department began an investigation that quickly centered on Schmockel, a 22-year-old woman from Kyle, South Dakota. She was arrested the following day and initially charged with one count of manslaughter for Alexander’s death and two counts of aggravated assault for the injuries to the other victims. In March of the following year, a grand jury indicted her on charges that included first-degree manslaughter.
As the case proceeded through the court system, the state reached a plea agreement with Schmockel. She pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree manslaughter for killing Nova Alexander, as well as two counts of simple assault related to the two other victims.
During her sentencing hearing in December 2022, the judge spoke of Schmockel’s history of methamphetamine use and her previous failures to complete treatment. Before imposing the sentence, the judge asked her directly, “Did he have to die?” For the manslaughter charge, Schmockel received a 10-year suspended prison sentence with six years of probation and 180 days in jail. She was given an additional 365 days for the two simple assault charges. The judge gave her credit for the 394 days she had already spent in jail, covering the imposed jail time.
The conditions of her probation required her to attend counseling and abstain from drugs, guns, and alcohol, with the judge warning that any violation would result in the full 10-year prison term. The criminal case concluded with the judge quoting from a letter written by Schmockel’s brother, who urged his sister to “live a life that would make Nova Alexander proud.”
