Eagle Butte Woman Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Setting Fire to a Home Killing Two Occupants

PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, woman convicted of Second Degree Murder. The sentencing took place on June 22, 2026.

Jimi Jo Collins, age 27, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Collins was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2025. She pleaded guilty on March 30, 2026.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred in March of 2025, within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. On March 2, 2025, Collins set fire to a residence in Eagle Butte that was occupied by multiple people. Several people escaped from the residence, but two victims were unable to get out and died in the fire.

"This woman is an arsonist and a murderer," said U.S. Attorney Parsons. "She intentionally set fire to a mobile home, knowing there were people asleep inside, because she thought someone had broken her car window. The result of that malevolent act is that two people were burned alive. The horror and tragic pointlessness of it all is unimaginable."

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

Collins was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.