The former mayor of a small town in South Dakota, Jay Ostrem, was charged with killing three men in Centerville, a town with a population of fewer than 1,000 people. According to court documents, Ostrem became enraged when his wife informed him that a neighbor had sexually assaulted her, prompting him to leave the house in a rage. The men were killed on May 27, just after Ostrem’s wife made the accusation, but she denied knowing where he was going or whether he was armed.
Zach Frankus called 911 to report that his brother had been shot and killed with a shotgun, and that he himself had also been shot by a man from across the street. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found three men dead with gunshot wounds, identified as Paul Frankus, Zach Frankus, and Timothy Richmond. Ostrem’s wife told him that Paul Frankus had assaulted her, which may have been a motivation for the shootings.
Ostrem was arrested shortly after the shootings while walking on the street where he lived, with an AR-style rifle found on the ground near him and a handgun in his pocket. He was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and was held on $1 million cash bond in the Minnehaha County Jail. The investigation was ongoing as of the last update, and it was unclear if Ostrem had obtained an attorney.
Ostrem had served as Centerville’s mayor from May 2009 to November 2011, when the City Council accepted his resignation without specifying the reason. In July 2010, the city’s former police chief filed a federal lawsuit against Centerville and Ostrem, alleging that he made gender-based comments that were unwelcome and degrading, including remarks about menstruation, men’s jobs, and women’s inability to be successful as men. Ostrem’s wife could not be reached for comment, and it remained to be seen how the case would progress.
The tragic incident in Centerville shocked the small community and raised questions about Ostrem’s motivations and state of mind during the shootings. The revelation of the sexual assault accusation against a neighbor added a troubling element to the already devastating news of the deaths of three men. The ongoing investigation by the Attorney General’s office sought to uncover more details surrounding the events leading up to the triple-shooting and determine the appropriate course of legal action against Ostrem.
As the case continued to unfold, the community of Centerville and the families of the victims grappled with the aftermath of the violent incident. The impact of the loss of three lives in such a close-knit town reverberated through the community, and concerns were raised about ensuring justice for the victims and their loved ones. The legal proceedings against Ostrem posed a challenge for the justice system and the authorities involved, as they sought to bring closure and accountability to a tragic event that had shaken the town to its core.
