MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — A Howard man has been indicted on two murder charges and a manslaughter charge in connection with a stabbing death reported Dec. 6 in Howard, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced.
Elias Stubbe, 46, was indicted Dec. 18 by a Miner County grand jury on one felony count each of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The first-degree and second-degree murder charges each carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison under South Dakota law. The first-degree manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of up to life in prison.
Authorities said Nichole Malfero, 56, of Howard, was found dead at a home in Howard.
The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the Miner County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting.
Stubbe is being held at the Davison County Jail in Mitchell on a $1 million cash bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Feb. 17.
Stubbe is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.