Charges dismissed against 19-year-old who was accused of Yankton murder
YANKTON, S.D. (KTIV) - A man in Southeast South Dakota is no longer being charged with murder after authorities received new evidence.
According to the Office of South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, the charges against 19-year-old Theodore Kranig, Jr. have been dismissed. He was facing one count of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree manslaughter for the death of a Yankton man.
“Forensic testing of evidence conducted by the Attorney General’s State Forensic Lab in the Yankton stabbing case raises questions as to the defendant’s guilt at this time,” stated Attorney General Jackley in a press release. “Prosecutors have an ethical obligation to pursue justice and simply not count convictions at the expense of that pursuit.”
The Attorney General’s Office says because the stabbing death is still being investigated, the details on this new evidence will not be released at this time. Currently, no new arrests have been announced in this case.
The investigation started on Dec. 13, 2024, after local authorities were sent to a Yankton apartment to do a welfare check., When Yankton Police got to the 1000 block of Walnut Street, they found a man in the apartment with multiple stab wounds as well as a cut across his neck.
During the initial investigation, authorities say Kranig arrived and attempted to enter the apartment while authorities were still there. Kranig reportedly told authorities he was there to pick up property from the apartment and admitted he had been there the night before.
At the time, police said Kranig had evidence on his person that suggested he was present during the victim’s death. Once detained, Kranig was interviewed, during which police say he admitted to being at the victim’s apartment drinking alcohol and claimed an altercation took place.
Shortly after, he was arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter, which he pleaded not guilty to. Now that those charges have been dismissed, Kranig was released on Wednesday, May 7, where he was being held.
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