Dad made 9-year-old beat, abuse sister as ‘a lesson’ before younger girl died, feds say

As a form of discipline, authorities said a South Dakota father forced his 9-year-old daughter to abuse her younger sister.

In August 2022, after his 8-year-old girl was accused of “violating bathroom privileges,” the father made the older sister “beat up” her sibling, federal authorities said.

The 9-year-old girl told authorities she was forced to wrestle her sister “to teach her a lesson,” according to court records filed in the District of South Dakota.

“In line with (her dad’s) orders, the older daughter abused her sister,” authorities said in an Oct. 26 news release. Her sister became unresponsive, and she died at a hospital two days later.

Now, the 34-year-old Rapid City father has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release on charges of voluntary manslaughter and child abuse, according to the release. He was also ordered to pay $200 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

McClatchy News is not identifying the man to protect the identity of his children.

His defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Oct. 30.

Prosecutors said the dad called 911 on Aug. 11, 2022, and reported his daughter was unresponsive. He said her older sister had “grabbed her hair and pulled her down and she hit her head,” according to court records.

When first responders arrived at the home in Mission, the dad was outside holding the unresponsive girl, authorities said. She was flown to a hospital and placed on life support.

A doctor said the girl had brain trauma described as “non-accidental, and consistent with child abuse,” prosecutors said. She died on Aug. 13, 2022, after life support was removed.

“An autopsy revealed traumatic head injuries, multiple rib fractures at various stages of healing, and multiple cuts and bruises,” authorities said. “The cause of death was determined to be traumatic brain injury due to non-accident trauma. The fatal injury was likely inflicted previously and the symptoms were exacerbated by the older sibling.”

Before her younger sister died, the 9-year-old girl told authorities that they had been wrestling and her sister “forgot how to tap out,” according to court records. “Tapping out” is a way for wrestlers to forfeit a match.

But after learning her sister had died, the girl said, “my dad did it because he beat her too much,” prosecutors said. She said she and her sister were beat with the metal part of a belt, a slipper and their dad’s work boot.

Three other child witnesses told authorities that the dad and 9-year-old girl hit the 8-year-old girl on the day she was hospitalized, according to court records.

Mission is about 175 miles southeast of Rapid City.

This story was originally published October 30, 2023 at 8:31 AM with the headline "Dad made 9-year-old beat, abuse sister as ‘a lesson’ before younger girl died, feds say."