On a spring evening in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the life of Baptiste White Eyes, a 27-year-old Native American man, was tragically cut short. The events of April 22, 2016, unfolded at the Lucky Lady Casino, where a confrontation escalated into fatal violence. An argument broke out between White Eyes and another man, 20-year-old Jared Jerome Stone.
The dispute was rooted in a personal conflict, as Stone was reportedly in a relationship with the mother of White Eyes's children.
The verbal altercation inside the casino spilled out into the exterior, where the disagreement turned physical. White Eyes reportedly struck Stone, who then retaliated. As the situation intensified, Stone drew a handgun. Witnesses later recounted that White Eyes had asked Stone if he intended to use the weapon. Stone then fired at White Eyes, shooting him in the face and then again after he had fallen to the ground. In the immediate aftermath, a person close to Stone received a chilling text message that read, "I just killed someone I'm sorry.".
Following the shooting, a manhunt for Jared Jerome Stone was launched by the Sioux Falls Police Department. Stone fled the scene with a woman named Lachara Bordeaux. The search for Stone extended beyond South Dakota, culminating in his arrest in Wyoming on April 28, 2016, after a chase that crossed through western Nebraska. In addition to Stone, three women were charged as accessories for their roles in helping him evade capture. Lachara Bordeaux, who initially claimed she was a victim, later pleaded guilty to helping hide Stone. Two other women, Mercedes Red Bear and Desiree Sully, also pleaded guilty to accessory charges.
Jared Jerome Stone faced justice for the killing of Baptiste White Eyes. He was convicted of second-degree murder, as well as possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm by a convicted drug offender. In March 2019, the South Dakota Supreme Court affirmed his convictions, solidifying the legal conclusion to a case that began with a fateful encounter at a local casino.
