PIERRE, S.D.(DRGNews)- The South Dakota Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the 75 year prison sentence given to a woman from Pierre who plead guilty to first-degree manslaughter related to a death in a Pierre motel in February 2022.

Miranda Ann Henry, aka Crystal Pumpkinseed, was sentenced in Hughes County Circuit Court in February 2023 for the stabbing death of Christopher Mexican, also from Pierre.

In the appeal to the state supreme court, Henry’s attorney argued that the judge in Henry’s case “failed to properly weigh certain circumstances including her unstable history, nonviolent criminal history, fact that she did not hide from law enforcement, history with alcohol abuse, her intoxication at the time of the offense, and her mental state at the time of the offense.”

In their opinion, the Justices disagreed saying, “The court considered an extensive presentence investigation report prior to announcing its sentence.” The opinion also says the court “determined that based on the heinousness of the offense, her prior opportunities for treatment, and her demonstrated tendency to keep committing crimes, she deserved a seventy-five year sentence.”