A Rapid City man accused of killing his father made his first court appearance Friday in Pennington County after being charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection to the death of 66-year-old Timothy Branch.
47-year-old Brian LeBeau, was arrested October 15 after an autopsy revealed Branch died from a brain bleed, which authorities allege resulted from an assault by LeBeau two days earlier.
Police responded to a medical call at 610 E. North St.—the Budget Motel—on October 8, where Branch was found unresponsive and later died at the hospital. LeBeau resides at the same address.
Magistrate Judge Scott Bogue described the incident as a “rather vicious assault.” Prosecutors stated that witnesses saw the attack and LeBeau admitted to it. Due to concerns about flight risk and public safety, Bogue upheld LeBeau’s $1 million cash-only bond.
Although LeBeau claimed he has always appeared in court, records show he missed hearings in two misdemeanor cases, including DUI and failure to stop, resulting in bench warrants.
The judge entered a not guilty plea on LeBeau’s behalf, as magistrate judges cannot accept guilty pleas in felony cases. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October, though it may be replaced by a grand jury proceeding.
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