Theresa Bentaas sentenced to 10 years in prison, 9 suspended in Baby Andrew cold case

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - A Sioux Falls woman was sentenced Thursday for the death of her newborn in 1981 that went unsolved for decades.

Theresa Bentaas was sentenced to 10 years in prison with nine years suspended by Judge Bradley Zell with the South Dakota Second Judicial Circuit. Based on the time Bentaas has served in county jail, she may only serve 60 days in prison, according to Judge Zell.

Bentaas will report to the Minnehaha County Jail on Jan. 15, 2022, to be transported to the women’s prison where she will serve her time.

Bentaas entered an Alford Plea in October after she originally pled not guilty to first and second-degree murder, as well as manslaughter. faced several charges in connection to the death of her newborn son in 1981. An “Alford” plea is still a guilty plea but where the defendant does not admit to the criminal act.

Investigators say Bentaas left her infant son to die on the outskirts of Sioux Falls. It became known as the “Baby Andrew” case. It went cold until DNA evidence linked Bentaas to the infant in 2019.

This is a developing story.