PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A Pine Ridge man accused of abusing a young child and causing her death has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.
Twenty-three-year-old Zachariah Poor Bear is charged in federal court with first-degree murder along with assault and child abuse counts.
Court documents indicate the child was younger than three and died of trauma to the head and abdomen in May 2015.
A trial date wasn’t immediately set. U.S. Attorney Randolph Seiler says Poor Bear could face life in prison if convicted.
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