Airman Stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base Charged with First Degree Murder of Missing Woman

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Rapid City, South Dakota, has returned an indictment charging an airman stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base with First Degree Murder.

Quinterius Charles Chappelle, age 24, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on March 28, 2025 on the indictment and pleaded not guilty. The charge carries a mandatory sentence of life in federal imprisonment or death and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each count. Restitution may also be ordered.

The indictment charges Chappelle with killing Sahela Toka Win Sangrait on Ellsworth Air Force Base in August 2024. Sangrait’s body was found last month in a wooded area near Hill City, South Dakota. Chappelle sought release from custody pending trial, and the United States moved for detention. The federal Magistrate Judge hearing the matter ordered Chappelle detained pending trial.

“The federal grand jury in Rapid City recently returned a charge of First Degree Murder against Quinterius Chappelle, alleging he killed the victim with premeditation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota will now proceed with the prosecution of this tragic case and relentlessly pursue justice on behalf of the victim.”

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paige Petersen and Benjamin Schroeder are prosecuting the case. 

Chappelle was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.