Scotland, South Dakota man sentenced to three life terms for 2021 triple murder
A Scotland man, who pleaded guilty but mentally ill to killing three people and injuring two others in 2021, was sentenced Mondy to three life terms in prison.
Francis Lange, 43, admitted to murdering his former girlfriend, Angela Monclova, her father Librado Monclova and her mother Diane Akins, on Nov. 9, 2021 in Scotland, a town of 767 people located 75 miles west of Sioux Falls. During the incident, a 5-year-old girl and Vicki Monclova, Librado's wife, were shot and injured.
More: South Dakota man pleads guilty but mentally ill in Scotland triple homicide
During Lange's plea hearing on May 31, Josette Lindahl, a psychiatrist at Avera Medical Behavioral Health in Sioux Falls, testified she had performed Lange's mental health competency test and found he was competent to stand trial and able to understand the charges he was facing. She said she had diagnosed Lange with schizoaffective disorder and that his alcohol and substance abuse made his symptoms worse.
A guilty but mentally ill plea is the same as a guilty plea, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley explained after the May hearing. However, the guilty but mentally ill plea allows for further evaluation and treatment.
Along with the three life sentences for three counts of murder, Lange will also serve two consecutive 15-year sentences for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Lange will serve his sentences at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
“The sentencing today brings some resolution to this tragic case and justice for the victim’s family,” Jackley wrote in a press release Monday. “This was a cooperative effort between state and local law enforcement and prosecutors.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Francis Lange sentenced to life in prison for 2021 triple homicide
