Riley Stonehouse was killed on the night of August 28, 2017, after what began as a meet-up in Bakker Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to buy a small amount of marijuana. He was a 17-year-old Black/African American male, and the night turned fast: Dylan Holler, just past his 18th birthday, arrived with two juveniles and a plan to do a “drug rip,” taking the marijuana by force instead of paying for it.
The group connected with Jayden Eastman, who had about nine grams to sell for $130, and they briefly left the park for a gas station so Holler could break larger bills into smaller ones.
Back at the park, Holler loaded a stolen handgun, climbed out, and swung open the rear passenger door on the driver's side where Eastman was seated. Holding the gun, he pistol-whipped Eastman and grappled with him, trying to seize the marijuana. In the struggle, the gun went off twice. Stonehouse, seated in the other rear seat, was struck in the chest and leg. Eastman managed to wrench the gun away and ran. Holler moved the vehicle a short distance, ditched the gun and a spent casing, and then returned to Stonehouse and tried CPR until police arrived. Stonehouse was rushed to Sanford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, and officers recovered the gun in the park.
Holler was indicted on charges that included first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and aggravated assault, and early in the case a judge denied him bond after finding him a flight risk and a danger to the community. Later, Holler reached a plea deal and pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, with the earlier indictment dismissed. On February 15, 2019, a judge sentenced him to 80 years in prison with 40 years suspended, a structure that left him the possibility of parole after roughly 20 years, and ordered him to pay costs and restitution totaling around $44,000. Holler appealed, arguing the sentence was disproportionate, but in an opinion filed May 20, 2020, the South Dakota Supreme Court upheld the sentence.
