Mitch Caffee sentenced to life in prison for shooting death of Lorraine Redmann
Mitch Caffee of Wessington Springs was sentenced to life in the state penitentiary yesterday, August 17, in connection with the murder of Wessington Springs woman Lorraine Redmann.
During the sentencing, Judge Patrick Pardy did not mince words when it came to Caffee’s history of aggressive abuse and violence toward women.
Judge Pardy described the defendant’s moral character and tendencies as one of an “evil psychopath willing to do anything to anyone to get what he wants.”
Pardy continued to recount Caffee’s violent history that preceded the murder of Redmann and reviewed step by step, the intentional actions Caffee took the night of Redmann’s murder.
“I feel like you’ll always be a danger to women in your life,” Judge Pardy said to the defendant. He continued, “This court has studied all factors and continues to find a lack of moral character and an evil mentality.”
The sentence handed down yesterday was based on a wide range of findings.
“Despite the defendant not having a prior conviction, Judge Pardy had access to all of his criminal history, everything he’s been charged with, including the charges that were dismissed and led to this case — the domestic abuse of his wife and violations of no contact orders,” explained Jerauld County States Attorney Deach R. Koch. “Statements from his wife describing the abuse she suffered for years, police reports including statements his children made to law enforcement, statements from other people involved, that all goes into the judge’s decision for sentencing. Many family members and friends submitted letters describing their fear of Mitch and the things that he’s done.”
Caffee was arrested by DCI Special Agents after fatally shooting his wife’s grandmother, Redmann, inside her home in Wessington Springs during a break-in and domestic assault on Sunday, October 24, 2021.
The Jerauld County Grand Jury convened in November 2021 charging Caffee with felony offenses including: murder in the first degree (counts 1 and 2), kidnapping in the first degree (count 3), burglary in the first degree (count 4), aggravated assault (domestic violence) (count 5), violation of on contact order (count 6), commission of a felony while armed with firearm (counts 7 and 8).
Caffee entered a guilty plea to first degree manslaughter and aggravated assault on June 30, 2022 in connection to Redmann’s murder. In exchange for the guilty plea to the manslaughter and aggravated assault charges, prosecutors dismissed 23 other felony charges.
“The goal with the plea agreement was to spare the family a trial but still have him subjected to a potential for life in prison,” said Jerauld County State’s Attorney Deach Koch.
Caffee was handed down the sentence of life in the state penitentiary on the first degree manslaughter conviction and 15 years in the state penitentiary on the aggravated assault conviction, with the sentences to run concurrent.
When asked about a chance for parole, Koch said that parole is a determination of the executive branch, not the judicial branch.
“In South Dakota, life means life,” he stated.
This case was investigated by Jerauld County Sheriff’s Office, Huron Police Department, the Highway Patrol and the Division of Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by the Jerauld County States Attorney Dedrich R. Koch and the Deputy Attorney General Brent Kempema from the SD Attorney General’s Office.