Source: Office of United States Attorneys
PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Parmelee, South Dakota, man convicted of Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender. The sentencing took place on February 20, 2025.
William Verlin Fool Bull, Sr., age 45, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Fool Bull was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2024. He pleaded guilty on November 19, 2024.
By October 4, 2023, Fool Bull had been in a relationship with his girlfriend for approximately 10 years. They lived together with their two young children in Parmelee, which lies within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On October 4, Fool Bull punched his girlfriend in the face several times and suffocated her in their home. The assault stopped when Fool Bull’s girlfriend kicked him in the knee and fled. Fool Bull has two prior convictions for domestic abuse.
This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Fool Bull was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.