The day before he was to stand trial for murdering his girlfriend in the Black Hills more than a decade ago, a Rapid City man has accepted a plea deal.
55-year old Melvin Schmitz entered an Alford Plea to a reduced charge of 2nd-degree manslaughter in the August 2013 death of Meshell Will.
An Alford Plea means he maintains his innocence but admits that he would likely be found guilty if the case went to trial. Schmitz faces up to 10-year in prison when he’s sentenced March 8th
No charges were brought in the case for nearly 8 years before Schmitz was charged with 2nd-degree murder.
In South Dakota, 2nd-degree manslaughter is defined as the reckless killing of someone, and Deputy Pennington County State’s Attorney Roxanne Hammond says Schmitz “at the very minimum” recklessly caused Will’s death.
Will had last been seen with Schmitz and she’d been listed as missing for 4 days when her body was found by a tourist. An autopsy couldn’t determine a cause of death and prosecutors have not said what led to the charges against Schmitz in 2021.
His arrest warrant, though, referenced a pathologist’s report, also from 2021, that ruled out natural causes, suicide, or an accidental manner of death. The pathologist concluded there was sufficient evidence to argue strongly that the manner of death was homicide
Hammond had said the state intended to introduce evidence at the trial about Schmitz’s past relationships with women, and that 3 women were to testify that Schmitz had been violent with them,