SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Jay Ostrem, 64, the former mayor of Centerville, has been indicted on nine felony charges related to the murders of three men on May 27.
A Turner County Grand Jury indicted Ostrem on Wednesday with three counts each of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and felony first-degree murder committed during a burglary.
The incident occurred around 10 p.m. on May 27 on the 1000 block of Main Street. Court documents indicate that one of the victims called 911 at 9:44 p.m., reporting that a family member had been shot and killed by "a guy from across the street" and that the caller had also been shot. Communication with dispatch then ceased.
Upon arrival, a Game, Fish and Parks Conservation Officer saw Ostrem leaving the residence from where the 911 call had originated. Ostrem was stopped, and officers found a .380 handgun in his pants pocket and an AR-style rifle on the ground nearby. Inside the residence, authorities discovered three deceased victims with apparent gunshot wounds.
The victims have been identified as 26-year-old Paul Frankus, 21-year-old Zachary Frankus, and 35-year-old Timothy Richmond.
A female family member of Ostrem informed investigators that she had been sexually assaulted by a neighbor earlier while they drank in her home. She described the assault as involving forcible kissing, genitalia exposure, and the neighbor pressing against her. On the night of the shootings, she reported the assault to Ostrem, who then left the house in a rage. This was the last time she saw him before the authorities arrived.
The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation, with the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office prosecuting the case.
Ostrem is scheduled to appear in court next at 3 p.m. on June 20 at the McCook County Courthouse in Salem. He is being held in the Minnehaha County Jail on a $1 million cash-only bond.
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