Rapid City, SD — A local man was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of Aggravated Assault stemming from a violent attack on two young women who were sitting in a parked vehicle following a day at the lake on July 7, 2025.
During sentencing, Senior Deputy State’s Attorney Braedon Houdek recounted the women’s harrowing experience, telling the court that Mikael Fox, 19, a complete stranger to the victims, ripped open the car door and began strangling the driver. When the passenger tried to intervene, the defendant forcibly pulled the driver from the vehicle, pushed her to the pavement, and continued strangling her while telling her, “This is your last day on earth.”
The passenger, trying to help her friend, was then attacked. The defendant placed her in a chokehold until she lost consciousness. As the passenger lay unresponsive, the driver, now conscious, attempted to intervene to save her friend. The defendant responded by slamming the driver’s head into the ground.
The attack was ultimately interrupted when a gas station clerk heard one of the women yelling for help, then witnessed the tail end of the assault and intervened, preventing further harm.
After his arrest, the defendant told law enforcement that this is “what happens when you give me tequila.”
In their victim impact statements, the two women told the court the incident has left lasting emotional scars. One victim said, “I hope that I can feel safe in my hometown again.”
After consulting with the victims and their families, Houdek asked the court to impose a 30-year sentence, with 15 years on each count. Seventh Circuit Court Judge Matthew Brown granted the State’s request and sentenced the defendant to 30 years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy State’s Attorney Braedon Houdek on behalf of the State.
