State v. Zemina

WOLLMAN, Justice.

Defendant was charged with murder. He was convicted of the lesser included offense of first degree manslaughter and was sentenced to life imprisonment in the South Dakota State Penitentiary.

The victim of the offense, one Kenneth Fernen (Fernen), resided with his family on a ranch located approximately 15 miles southeast of Mission, South Dakota. Sometime after noon on November 8, 1969, Fernen drove to the nearby Nebraska towns of Kilgore and Crookston to purchase some parts for his hay baler. At approximately 5:15 that afternoon, Fernen stopped to visit with a neighboring…