March 31, 2026:
A 33 year old Yankton man has been sentenced (March 31, 2026) to Life in Prison after pleading guilty but mentally ill to Second Degree Murder in connection with the 2025 murder of a Yankton woman.
Craig Nichols Jr. was charged for the January 2, 2025, death of 41 year old Heather Ann Bodden (bow den) in her apartment in Yankton. Nichols stabbed Bodden over 70 times and severed her head.
Attorney General Marty Jackley said in accepting the plea, the Court considered evidence from a qualified evaluator indicating that, at the time of the offense, Nichols, Jr. was suffering from a mental illness that affected his behavior and impacted his judgment. However, the evaluator determined his judgment was not affected to the extent that Nichols, Jr. was unable to understand the wrongfulness of his actions. As such, the he was not legally insane at the time of the offense.
Jackley says a plea of guilty but mentally ill does not alter the statutory penalty for Second Degree Murder and still results in the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment that was imposed.
Nichols had been scheduled to go to trial this summer.
South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation, in conjunction with the Yankton Police Department and the Yankton County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case.
The Attorney General’s Office and the Yankton County State’s Attorney prosecuted.
Jan. 3, 2025:
A 41-year-old Yankton woman has been identified as the victim in the murder that occurred Thursday (Jan. 2, 2025) in Yankton.
Heather Ann Bodden’s body was found in a Yankton apartment at approximately 3:15 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
Craig Allen Nichols, Jr., 32, of Yankton has been arrested and charged with Second-Degree Murder, First-Degree Manslaughter, and two counts of contempt of court. He is being held on a $500,000 cash only bond.
South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation, in conjunction with the Yankton Police Department and the Yankton County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating the case.
The Attorney General’s Office and the Yankton County State’s Attorney will prosecute the case.
People with pertinent information related to this matter can contact the Yankton Police Department at 605-668-5210 or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 605-665-4440.
The defendant’s next hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., Jan. 8. He is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
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