Homeless Man on Trial for Murder in Sioux Falls

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A jury in Sioux Falls is being asked to decide which of two homeless men is responsible for the death of a campmate last year.

Forty-five-year-old Eugene "Eddie" Martin faces charges of first-degree murder and manslaughter in the May 3, 2012, death of Robert Thunder Hawk. Prosecutors allege Martin killed Thunder Hawk with a shovel during a drunken dispute.

Another campmate, Clint Cottonwood, pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this year for his role in Thunder Hawk's death. Cottonwood told a judge that Thunder Hawk had been insulting Martin's girlfriend before the killing.

The Argus Leader reports that Martin's lawyers intend to argue that their client did not deliver the fatal blow.

The trial is scheduled for two weeks. Opening arguments were set Thursday.

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