CENTERVILLE, S.D. – A former deputy with the Turner County Sheriff’s Office who also served as mayor of Centerville, South Dakota has been charged in a triple murder that occurred Monday evening in the community he once oversaw, according to the state’s attorney general, NBC News reported.
Jay Edward Ostrem is accused of gunning down three men on Monday night after his wife said one of the individuals sexually assaulted her days earlier.
Ostrem, 64, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Paul Frankus, 26, Zachary Frankus, 21, and 35-year-old Timothy Richmond.
The homicides occurred shortly before 10 p.m. in the town Centerville, a small community of less than 1,000 residents, about 40 miles south of Sioux Falls.
A “frantic” Zachary Frankus called 911 to report a shooting in the 1000 block of Main Street. After speaking with the dispatcher for a while, he reported that he had been shot and stopped talking shortly thereafter, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime.
An officer with the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Conservation was the first to arrive at the scene. While waiting for backup, he saw Ostrem appear from the home’s garage. The officer told Ostrem to stop, but he initially kept walking, the affidavit read.
Hence, the officer drove up to Ostrem and once again ordered him to stop and directed him to get on the ground. This time, Ostrem complied and said he had a gun in his pocket, according to the affidavit.
Responding law enforcement personnel entered the home and discovered three men dead inside from gunshot wounds.
Investigators recovered a rifle lying on the ground near Ostrem as well as a .380 handgun in his pants pocket. He also had blood on his hand and smelled of alcohol, according to the affidavit.
Ostrem resides down the street from the crime scene. Agents with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation went to his home and talked to his wife. The woman said that on Thursday, May 23, she and Paul Frankus were drinking at her home while her husband was sleeping. During the interaction, she alleged that Paul Frankus forcibly kissed her, exposed himself and ground against her clothing and back, according to the affidavit, Law&Crime reported.
On Monday evening, she told Ostrem about the encounter. Consequently, her husband “got up and went raging out of the house,” the affidavit said.
Ostrem’s wife denied knowing what her husband planned to do or whether he was armed when he left the home. She remained inside her residence until investigators arrived to interview her following the killings.
Ostrem was booked at the Minnehaha County Jail, where he is being held a $1 million cash only bond.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a press release that Ostrem has formally been charged with three counts of First Degree Murder.
Ostrem previously served as the mayor of Centerville as well as a deputy with the Turner County Sheriff’s Office. Prior to employment in South Dakota, he worked as a police officer for about 20 years in Wyoming, the South Dakota Searchlight reported.
It’s unclear when Ostrem is expected to make his first court appearance.
