SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota judge has declared a Sioux Falls man not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2016 beating death of his friend.
The Argus Leader reports that Mark Lovejoy fought with Rodney Iron Hawk after a night of drinking in January 2016, attacking Iron Hawk in a motel parking lot and repeatedly punching him in the head.
Minnehaha County Coroner Kenneth Snell says the beating injuries that killed Iron Hawk resembled those from a major fall or a car accident. Judge Lawrence Long says Lovejoy has a history of mental illness and says two psychiatrists agreed Lovejoy wasn’t sane.
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Long found Lovejoy not guilty of second-degree murder due to insanity. Lovejoy will be committed to the Human Services Center in Yankton.
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Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com
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