Rapid City man charged with killing 82-year old woman in her home was back in court

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - The man accused of killing an 82-year-old woman in her Rapid City home was back in court on Friday, September 1.

James Jumping Eagle, a 46-year-old Rapid City man and convicted sex offender, is charged with the first-degree murder and second-degree rape of Reta McGovern. In court Friday, Jumping Eagle claimed the state failed to present documents that could be used against him in the trial, delaying the court while he returned to his cell in the Pennington County Jail to retrieve them. Once he returned, the state agreed the documents would not be used in cross-examination.

Jumping Eagle motioned for a 30-day delay to look over the documents, and the judge will take this motion under consideration. Jumping Eagle will represent himself in court, with standby counseling nearby. He faces up to life in prison.

The trial is set to begin later this month if the judge denies the motion for a 30-day delay.

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