RAPID CITY, S.D. (TCN) — A judge handed a 45-year-old man a prison sentence this week for killing a 40-year-old woman with a can of beans because he was upset that she ripped his football jersey.
The Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office announced Dec. 16 that Pedro Simental was ordered to spend 15 years behind bars following his guilty plea last month for the first-degree manslaughter of Edleigha Little.
The presiding judge “highlighted the difficulty of the case, with the factors of the victim’s poor health contributing to the challenges faced in a trial.” Both prosecution and defense recommended a 15-year sentence for Simental, an amount the judge found “appropriate.”
According to KOTA-TV, Little and Simental got into a physical confrontation in November 2023 and Simental responded by beating her over the head with a can of beans. Little reportedly had a blood alcohol content level of 0.474% on the day of the argument. KOTA reports Simental’s attorneys described Little as a “severe alcoholic” and noted that her drinking history could have caused the fatal hematoma in her brain.
The state’s attorney’s office said the defense argued that Little had pre-existing health conditions, which led to her death more so than a “single, reckless blow” to the head. Prosecutors, on the other hand, said Simental “takes little to no responsibility for his role in her death.”
Law and Crime reports Simental became upset with Little because she tore his Denver Broncos shirt.
Little’s niece spoke at the sentencing hearing and described Little as “a caring, thoughtful person.” She also claimed Simental abused Little during their relationship. The niece requested the judge give Simental a long sentence so he would not be able to “do this to another woman and her family.”
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