Just as Yankton County prosecutors were preparing for trial this week, a Yankton man at the last minute pled guilty to the murder of a Yankton woman back in 2019.
According to court documents, A pretrial conference was held Friday for De’Von Lopez. As part of a plea deal, he plead guilty to manslaughter in connection to the death of Deborah Schock. Lopez was facing a charge of murder in the second degree.
Manslaughter is a Class C felony, punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 and the possibility of life in prison.
Sentencing has been scheduled for 1 p.m. Sept. 1st.
Court documents indicate that on Sept. 7thof 2019, the Yankton County Sheriff’s Office was called to a mobile home located east of Yankton for a report of a death. Family members had discovered Schock deceased in her residence. An autopsy found that Schock had injuries consistent with strangulation.
