Sioux Falls man to be sentenced Thursday for stabbing death of woman during drug deal in 2020
A Sioux Falls man will be sentenced Thursday for the death of a woman after a drug deal went bad, according to court documents.
William Christopher Little, 33, of Sioux Falls, was arrested in connection to the death of Roseanne Eagle Road on Aug. 21, 2020. Little is currently housed at the Minnehaha County Jail.
He pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Oct. 26 and had the first- and second-degree murder charge against him dropped, according to court documents.
The charges stemmed from a Aug. 21, 2020 incident that happened around 10:45 p.m. at Russell Street and Kiwanis Avenue. The Sioux Falls Police Department were called out for a woman bleeding and yelling for help.
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The woman died at the entrance to the Food-N-Fuel gas station from at least one stab wound to her chest, according to court documents.
The Monday after the incident, Lt. Terrance Matia said Little stabbed Eagle Road in a vehicle after a dispute over narcotics.
The two planned to buy drugs with two other witnesses that Friday night, according to court documents. After Eagle Road purchased the drugs in a room at the nearby Motel 6, she returned to the vehicle and said the drugs "tasted odd." One witness told police that Little thought Eagle Road had cheated her share of drugs, and stabbed her, according to prior reporting by the Argus Leader.
Little was scheduled for a jury trial starting Nov. 1, but had a change of plea hearing on Oct. 26, according to court documents.
In taking a plea deal, Little avoids going to trial and being possibly found guilty by jury of either murder charges. Those two are punishable by a mandatory life in prison sentence.
The first-degree manslaughter charge can be sentenced by a life imprisonment, but by taking a deal Little will most likely be given a shorter sentence, thus making him available for parole.
Little will be sentenced at 2 p.m. at the Minnehaha County Courthouse by Judge Bradley Zell.
Got a story idea from your community? Email reporter Alfonzo Galvan at agalvan@argusleader.com or follow him on Twitter @GalvanReports.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: William Little to be sentenced for 2020 homicide Thursday
