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Crime

Amanda Kaur called police on November 28th, 2010, saying she found her 26-year-old husband, Air Force Staff Sergeant Ira Kaur, shot to death in the basement of their New Underwood, South Dakota, home.

Amanda claimed he killed himself. Her story fell apart after a forensic investigator learned he was shot twice, about six hours apart.

Amanda changed her story and claimed that she was trying to stop her husband from killing himself, and as they struggled over the gun, it went off.

After that, she claimed she took her kids, whom Ira had just adopted two weeks prior, to get some breakfast, and when they returned home, Ira was lying wounded on the floor. Amanda told investigators she finished him off with a single shot to the head, portraying her actions as a mercy killing.

Her story didn’t add up. They suspected Ira was sleeping when he was shot. Soon, detectives learned that Amanda bought the gun a day before the shooting. When they confronted her about the gun purchase, she claimed family was with her at the time, but they learned she was alone, indicating she was trying to keep it a secret.

She was arrested three days after the crime and charged with first-degree murder, and facing a mandatory life sentence if convicted.

Legal Proceedings

The 28-year-old pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on June 7th, 2011, with the prosecution asking for a maximum of 65 years.

In an effort to get a light sentence, she continued with the suicide theories, and on top of that, she said Ira was abusive, a claim she could not prove.

The judge had the discretion to give her life without parole, but he stuck with the prosecution’s recommendation and sentenced her to 65 years in prison on September 9th, 2011.

She is serving her sentence in the Pierre Minimum Center in Pierre, SD. She will be eligible for parole on July 3rd, 2041.