Morningstar Jewett (Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office)
A 29-year-old man in South Dakota has been arrested after he allegedly admitted to killing a 63-year-old man, beating him to death inside of his home and stuffing the victim’s body into a large garment bag. Morningstar Jewett on Wednesday was charged with two counts of aggravated assault in an attempt to cause serious bodily injury in the death of Nigussie Bulti, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
A criminal complaint alleges that Jewett “did attempt to cause serious injury to Nigussie Bulti” under “circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
According to a probable-cause affidavit obtained from the Sioux Falls Argus leader, officers with the Sioux Falls Police Department responded on Wednesday morning, July 5, to a request for a welfare check in a residence located near East 3rd Street, and North Cliff Avenue. The caller was reportedly Bulti’s caseworker with the Southeastern Behavioral Health clinic, which is a nonprofit mental health agency.
The caseworker reportedly went to Bulti’s home after he failed to show up for a scheduled appointment. The caseworker told the emergency dispatcher that when they opened the door to Bulti’s home they discovered that he was dead and it appeared as though someone had tried to stuff his remains into a large black garment bag, though part of the body could reportedly be seen sticking out the bag. The carpet beneath the garment bag was also covered in blood, which had already dried.
When first responders arrived, they found the body of Bulti and pronounced him dead at the scene. The officers and medical personnel noted that the victim’s body appeared to have been in the home for some time, saying that the smell of decomposition emanated throughout the apartment and the rest of the building and the body was already covered in maggots, per the Argus Leader.
An autopsy conducted by the Minnehaha County Coroner’s Office concluded that the victim’s manner of death was a homicide, Dakota News Now reported.
Investigators reportedly found a shoe print inside the home that did not match any of the victim’s shoes and appeared to contain blood that did not belong to the victim. A neighbor reportedly told police that she had seen an individual named “Morningstar” near the apartment complex earlier that week.
When police decided to locate Jewett, they learned that he was already in jail on charges unrelated to Bulti’s death. A search of the belongings in his possession at the time of his arrest showed a pair of bloody jeans and shoes with a pattern resembling the print found in Bulti’s home, the Mitchell Republic reported. According to reports, he was arrested on 4 July for spitting and threatening a policeman’s life.
Investigators claim that Jewett confessed to killing Bulti in an interview with the police.
“You got me,” Jewett reportedly said, per the affidavit. “I did it.”
In explaining what took place, Jewett allegedly said that he went after Bulti after the victim had struck “his girl” six days prior to the body being discovered, reports said. Jewett allegedly said that as the fight escalated, he “stomped” Bulti’s head several times and kicked the victim in the jaw at least once, but was not sure if he actually killed the other man.
“I grabbed a piece of wood, and I smacked him in the back of the head with the wood,” Jewett allegedly told detectives. “He hit the ground. I assaulted him again.”
Jewett said that some people returned to the apartment later and tried to clean it up. He refused to identify these individuals.
Authorities are reported to have said that Jewett might face additional charges, depending on the results of an ongoing investigation.
Jewett has been placed in Minnehaha County Jail for $50,000 bail. Uncertain if Jewett has retained an lawyer.
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