Murder in Woonsocket Shakes Small South Dakota Town

A woman was killed on Wednesday in the central South Dakota town of Woonsocket, forcing a nearby school into lockdown.

According to a press release from Attorney General Marty Jackley several law enforcement agencies converged on a house on South 3rd Avenue around 9:00 AM.

It was there that 33-year-old Matthew Walter Novak of Woonsocket was arrested on one count of second degree murder. The maximum penalty for the crime, a class B felony, is a mandatory life sentence.

The woman was identified as 25-year-old Jennifer Ann Gibson of Woonsocket. More investigation is expected with the case being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office. Few other details have been released in the case.

Woonsocket School District Superintendent Rod Weber told the Associated Press that the school was on lockdown for about 10 minutes as a precaution as officers surrounded the home.

See Also: