Former United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is receiving heat for a commutation she made as the governor of South Dakota. A man who was previously sentenced to life in prison but later had his sentenced commuted by then Governor Kristi Noem has now been arrested in connection to the death of a 14-year-old. Mark Milk, 51, who was previous sentenced to life in prison on a manslaughter conviction is now in legal trouble again as he has been charged in the connection to the death of McKenna Wendel. ABC News reported more on Milk’s charges and revealed how McKenna Wendel died: A man whose life sentence for manslaughter was commuted by then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been charged in connection with the death of a 14-year-old girl, in what authorities called a “horrific” case. McKenna Wendel was reported missing in mid-March and found dead in a rural area near Brookings, South Dakota, following a dayslong search, according to Sioux Falls police. Following a monthslong investigation, her relative, 51-year-old Mark Milk, faces federal charges alleging he transported a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, possessed cocaine that led to McKenna’s death and then conspired with another man to destroy evidence, according to the indictment. The other defendant, 38-year-old Jon Rogness of Brookings, is also accused of acting as an accessory to help Milk avoid prosecution, according to the indictment. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa. Prosecutors did not go into detail regarding the case, including where the alleged acts took place or the connection between the two defendants. “The Department of Justice policy is to pursue the most serious, readily provable charges, and the charges that are alleged in the indictment all occurred within the Northern District of Iowa,” Iowa U.S. Attorney Leif Olson said during a press briefing Thursday when asked how the jurisdiction was decided in the case. Mark Milk, 51, Noem, commuted his sentence. He's been charged with the murder of a 14-year-old McKenna Wendel. pic.twitter.com/rbtZrtFruc — 0HOUR1 (@__0HOUR1_) June 18, 2026 USA Today reported more on Milk’s previous manslaughter conviction: Mark Milk is a 51-year-old Sioux Falls resident who was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the 1993 stabbing death of Shawn Peneaux during a bar fight in downtown Winner, South Dakota. Both men were 19 years old at the time. Milk claimed self-defense in the case but the trial court at the time noted that it was “one of the most vicious, brutal homicides it had ever seen,” according to documents from the Supreme Court of South Dakota. Milk kicked the victim “until his head was soft,” stabbing him in the chest and face and cutting off his right ear, court records say. The court ruled at the time that photographic evidence in the case “clearly” indicated “Milk went well beyond merely defending himself.” After nearly two decades in prison, Milk sought a commutation. In 2022, he told the South Dakota Board of Pardons and Paroles that he used his work release paychecks to open a bank account for his nieces and nephews’ college educations, saying: “I love my time with them.” Milk’s parents were quoted then as saying they were “accepting of his dark past and support his journey to do better inside the walls,” such as mentoring young men in and out of prison. Mark Milk talks about the Family Powwows while his niece McKenna sits in his lap Saturday, Dec. 8, at the South Dakota State Penitentiary. “We tend to think we let our families down,” Milk said. “It’s nice to make them proud.” Noem commuted Milk’s life sentence based on a positive recommendation from the parole board, which was “swayed by his work ethic and ascension to a trainer’s post” while he was working for Metal Craft Industries at the prison where he was housed as a maximum-security inmate, according to previous Argus Leader reporting. This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here. The post Man Who Had Life Sentence Commuted By Kristi Noem Charged In Connection To 14-Year-Old’s Death appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.