PIERRE — The South Dakota Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this month in the case of a Pierre man sentenced in June of 2021 to prison for the death of a two year-old boy. A Hughes County jury convicted Tristin Larson for Second-Degree Murder and Aggravated Battery of a Infant on May 28th of last year. Larson is appealing the denial of his motion to suppress statements made to police detectives. He is also appealing the denial of a motion asking for a judgement of acquittal; claiming the evidence supported manslaughter and not murder. Larson attorney Brad Schreiber says the case against his client lacked evidence of a “depraved mind” which is required in the Second-Degree Murder statute and “recklessness” which is required in the Aggravated Battery of an Infant statute. Schreiber adds it’s not clear Larson understood his rights while being questioned and his comments to a Pierre police detective should have been withheld. The state’s High Court will hear a total of 12 cases over two days from April 25 to 27th at the South Dakota School of Mines.
