South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced on Tuesday that law enforcement has arrested a former mayor in connection with a triple murder.
Former Centerville Mayor Jay Ostrem, 64, is being held on a $1 million bond in the Minnehaha County Jail, according to a press release. Ostrem, 64, was arrested Monday evening at a residence in the small town. (RELATED: Employee Allegedly Beheaded Boss Out Of Desperation To Hide Theft From Girlfriend, Lawyer Claims)
“Jay Ostrem has been arrested and charged with three counts of First Degree murder, and law enforcement has secured the scene,” Jackley said in the press release. “There is no further threat to the public.”
Ostrem had served as a police officer before becoming mayor, according to the Argus Leader, a local news outlet.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a call that night from an individual named Zach Frankus who reported that there was a shooting, according to the court documents obtained by the Argus Leader.
Frankus told dispatch that someone had shot and killed his brother with a shotgun. Frankus also indicated that he also had been shot before going quiet, the news outlet reported.
Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement officers reportedly saw Ostrem leaving the home, and he allegedly ignored officers when they commanded him to stop. The former mayor was reportedly bleeding from his left hand and smelled of alcohol. He was carrying a handgun and rifle, along with used shotgun and rifle casings, according to the Argus Leader.
According to a filed complaint, former Centerville mayor and city councilor Jay Edward Ostrem killed three victims on Monday, May 27, 2024 “with a premeditated design.”https://t.co/V1Ho2ZLIN7 pic.twitter.com/zWxUYcIWws
— WAVY TV 10 (@WAVY_News) May 28, 2024
Police reportedly found three men dead inside the home, identified as Paul Frankus, 26, Zach Frankus, 21, and Timothy Richmond, 35. Court documents indicated that Ostrem’s wife told the authorities that she and Paul had been drinking together on May 23 when he allegedly forcibly kissed her and exposed his genitals to her, according to the report.
After telling her husband about the incident, it led to him allegedly “raging out of the house” without telling her where he was headed, the Argus Leader reported.
