Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a man from North Lake Worth Beach, Florida, has been sentenced for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The sentencing was carried out by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann on July 14, 2025.
Kenneth Lee DeMarrias, aged 46, received a five-year federal prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and forfeited his interest in a firearm.
DeMarrias was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024 and pleaded guilty on April 23, 2025. His criminal history includes firing six shots at three teenagers in Kansas City in May 1998, resulting in two deaths and one injury requiring surgery. After serving 26 years for murder, aggravated assault, and armed criminal action, he was released in May 2024.
On July 26, 2024, DeMarrias was arrested at the Grand River Casino within the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota after loading his wife's pistol magazine while using methamphetamine.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through community collaboration and strategic enforcement priorities. The Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy on May 26, 2021.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services investigated the case with Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuting. DeMarrias has been remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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