Murder Suspect Makes 1st Court Appearance

by Jill Johnson
December 28, 2012 4:40 PM


The man accused of killing an 18-month-old toddler in Sioux Falls made his first court appearance Friday. 24-year-old Manegabe Ally was arrested Thursday in connection with the child's death.

Ally is being charged with one count of 1st degree murder, one count of 2nd degree murder and three counts of 1st degree manslaughter. When his name was called in court, there was no interpreter available so the judge had to use one through a system called language line.

It's the first glimpse of Manegabe Ally that we've gotten since he was arrested, the same man who's accused of murdering his girlfriend's 18-month-old son.

Police say just before 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve day, they recieved a call from Sycamore Village Apartments about a toddler that was unresponsive.

At the time, Ally was watching the boy and according to court documents, he heard the boy cry and when he went to check on him, he was lying on the ground with blood coming from the corner of his mouth. That's when it said, Alley called 911.

First responders resuscitated the child, but he died the next day, on Christmas day, at the hospital. The autopsy confirmed that the toddler died from blunt force injury to the head causing a large fracture to his skull. The medical examiner says it was unlikely that the injury resulted from falling off a bed onto a carpeted floor, which has ultimately led to Alley's arrest.

When asked in court if Alley understood the charges against him, he said 'no'. When the judge asked again, through an interpreter, he said 'even though he didn't agree with them, he understood'.

Alley's bond remains set at $1 million. His court appointed attorney waived any argument pertaining to the bond amount.