Arnson Absolu, the New York man convicted last year of 3 drug-related murders in Rapid City in August 2020, has been give 3 terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole with the sentences to be served consecutively.
Absolu was also fined $50,000 for each count in the deaths of 26-year old Charles Red Willow, 29-year old Ashley Nagy, and 22-year old Dakota Zaiser.
The bodies of Red Willow and Nagy were found in a car in a Rapid City park while Zaiser’s remains were found a month later in a shallow grave at Sheridan Lake. Absolu killed Red Willow over drug deals and Nagy and Zaiser because they were witnesses.
Lead prosecutor Roxanne Hammond asked Judge Robert Gusinsky for consecutive sentences, calling the murders premeditated and sayin Absolu had sentenced the victims’ families to a life of pain.
Judge Gusinsky said that while it will be small comfort to the families, he hoped the case will keep more people away from drugs because “if just a few people take note of what drugs do, the memories of the 3 victims “can be a catalyst for change.”
Absolu’s trial lasted nearly 3 weeks with 8 days of testimony and the jury deliberating over 10 hours across two days before announcing its verdicts.