In the pre-dawn hours of October 8, 2020, a night of arranged crime in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, ended in the death of Clay Douglas Stubbs. A 36-year-old White male, Stubbs was found fatally wounded after a chaotic sequence of events. Around 3:30 a.m., police received reports of gunshots in the area of 57th Street and Baneberry Drive. At nearly the same time, another call came in for a vehicle crash at a gas station near 57th Street and Marion Road.
Officers arrived at the crash to find Stubbs with several gunshot wounds to his torso. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Investigators quickly determined that Stubbs had been shot shortly before his vehicle crashed. The scene of the shooting was traced back to the parking lot of an apartment complex on West 56th Street. Authorities described the incident as a drug deal gone wrong, stating that Stubbs had arranged to sell a pound of marijuana to men he knew. According to court documents, the buyers had planned to rob Stubbs over a pre-existing debt. Text messages recovered by police showed the suspects discussing the plan, acknowledging that Stubbs had a gun, and confirming one of them was also armed. Though Stubbs was armed when he was found, police said he had not fired his weapon.
Within a week, detectives identified two suspects. Lowell Patrick Loberg, 39, was arrested first. Police then announced they were searching for a second man, 34-year-old Ryan Noel Aadland. On October 17, 2020, U.S. Marshals located and arrested Aadland in Pierre, South Dakota. Both men were charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and first-degree manslaughter. During questioning, Loberg told investigators that Aadland had approached the vehicle during the deal and shot Stubbs twice.
The cases against the two men proceeded through the courts with very different outcomes. In June 2021, Lowell Loberg accepted a plea agreement in which the murder charges against him were dismissed. In exchange, he pleaded guilty to being an accessory to a felony.
Ryan Aadland’s case went to trial in early 2023. On January 31, a Minnehaha County jury found him not guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter in connection with Stubbs’ death. The jury did, however, convict Aadland on one count of possession of a firearm by a former violent offender. He was sentenced to two years for the weapons charge but was given credit for the 834 days he had already served while awaiting trial. The legal proceedings in the case concluded with Aadland's acquittal in February 2023.
