New Town Man Found Guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter

MINOT—Acting United States Attorney Lynn Jordheim announced that on April 29, 2010, Marcus Lone Bear, Jr., 18, of New Town, North Dakota, was found guilty by a federal jury of the offense of voluntary manslaughter. United States Judge Daniel L. Hovland presided.

On October 15, 2009, Lone Bear and the victim were at a residence in New Town, North Dakota, on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Around 7:45 a.m., after having consumed alcohol during the night, Lone Bear and the victim became involved in a dispute. Lone Bear retrieved a knife from the kitchen of the home and slashed the victim in the face with the knife. Lone Bear returned to the kitchen and the victim followed him. When the victim entered the kitchen, Lone Bear stabbed him in the neck with the knife. The victim later died from the injury.

The charge of voluntary manslaughter carries a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Fort Berthold Agency, Three Affiliated Tribes Police Department, Mountrail County Sheriff’s Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Sentencing for Lone Bear, Jr., has been scheduled for August 16, 2010, in United States District Court in Minot, North Dakota.

Assistant United States Attorney Rick Volk is prosecuting the case.