Rapid City man appeals murder conviction, saying case should not be tried on character grounds

RAPID CITY, SD (KOTA) – Dion Bordeaux, 29, of Rapid City was convicted last August for the December 2020 shooting death of then-22-year-old Jeanette Jumping Eagle.

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During the trial, Bordeaux's attorney argued that Jumping Eagle shot herself after Bordeaux broke up with her, but the state was able to convince the jury otherwise.

Bordeaux now argues that the court abused its discretion by allowing what it considered to be impermissible actions unrelated to the case to be brought up during the trial, which influenced the jury.

The evidence in question included a previous drug conviction and a previous incident in which he allegedly attempted to kill another person. In court Tuesday, the defense argued that cases should be tried based on what the person allegedly did, not who they were, and the lower court failed to do that.

A decision on the appeal is expected in the coming months.

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