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In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a local man, Dylan Farmer, was acquitted of murder charges related to the death of his neighbor, Casey Shaffer, on Friday. The case stemmed from allegations that Farmer was told Shaffer had sexually abused a child.
Farmer faced charges of first and second-degree murder after the 2024 shooting incident involving Shaffer. The confrontation occurred after Farmer reportedly responded to a woman’s call for help, claiming Shaffer had sexually assaulted her son.
During the trial, prosecutors revealed that Farmer went to the Minnehaha County Jail, asserting he had witnessed a murder. Court documents indicate that Farmer labeled Shaffer a pedophile, purportedly stating, “I’ve heard he touched a kid, so I shot him.”
Dylan Farmer was charged with first and second-degree murder in the 2024 fatal shooting of Casey Shaffer in Sioux Falls.
After his arrest in 2024, Farmer told police he was contacted by a woman to remove Shaffer from her home after she accused Shaffer of sexually assaulting her son.
Prosecutors told the jury Farmer had gone to the Minnehaha County Jail and claimed to have witnessed a murder. In court filings, Farmer accused Shaffer of being a pedophile, allegedly saying, “I’ve heard he touched a kid, so I shot him.”
The prosecution asked the jury to rely on confessions, corroborating evidence, and common sense. They also stated Farmer confessed five times to killing Shaffer, with each confession having “remarkable consistency.” The prosecution outlined its belief that Farmer had killed Shaffer because Shaffer had sexually assaulted a boy who was important to Farmer.
Shaffer was never charged in connection with this allegation.
During the eight-day trial, jurors heard from a coroner who described Shaffer’s injuries: four gunshot wounds to the head, one through the right arm and one through the back. The head wounds were determined to be fatal, and the cause of death was ruled a homicide.
A forensic fingerprint expert testified, followed by a firearms expert who concluded all fired bullets came from the same gun. A DNA analyst testified Farmer’s DNA was found on a pipe located inside the apartment where Shaffer was killed.
The defense asserted there was no forensic evidence to support the allegation that Farmer shot Shaffer and that there were “no usable prints” available from the crime scene.
An electronic forensics expert from Dakota State University who examined data from five phones recovered by police testified that two phones were linked to a woman who lived at the residence and had a relationship of some sort with both Shaffer and Farmer. A third phone belonged to Farmer. The fourth and fifth were tied to Farmer’s friend and that friend’s girlfriend.
local affiliate KELO in Sioux Falls contributed to this report.