Man sentenced to 7 years in killing of Oglala Sioux transgender woman

A judge sentenced Gregory Edward Landers, 55, to seven years in prison this month for the 2022 killing of Acey Morrison, a 30-year-old transgender woman and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, according to South Dakota Searchlight. Landers pleaded guilty in November 2024 to second-degree manslaughter. In exchange, prosecutors dropped first-degree manslaughter and a weapons charge and agreed to seek no more than 10 years with three years suspended. Landers has already served about two years in jail and could be eligible for parole within a few years.

Landers had argued self-defense, but Judge Heidi Linngren ruled in 2024 that evidence did not support that claim, allowing the case to proceed. Pennington County State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel said inconsistencies in Landers’s account contributed to the decision to charge the case. Morrison’s family told South Dakota Searchlight the sentence offers limited closure as they continue to seek justice in the 2023 killing of Daniel Freeman, Morrison’s relative, which remains unresolved.