Tribal Member Sent to Prison for Murder

SPOKANE—Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Kevin Isaac Pakootas, age 25, of Inchelium, Washington, was sentenced yesterday to serve 20-years in prison for second-degree murder. In November 2010, Kevin Pakootas pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and assault with a dangerous weapon.

On Saturday, September 5, 2009, the Colville Tribal Police Department (CTPD) responded to a call about 6:15 a.m. reporting an assault on Moccasin Run in Inchelium, Washington, within the boundaries of the Colville Indian Reservation. The responding officer discovered two unconscious victims of a violent assault, Mark Edgette, then age 39, and Colette Pakootas, then age 23. Both victims were flown to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane for treatment. The CTPD immediately located and arrested Kevin Isaac Pakootas. Both Kevin Pakootas and his wife, Colette Pakootas were enrolled members of the Colville Confederated Tribe.

The CTPD and the FBI jointly investigated the case. According to witnesses and statements from the defendant, Kevin Pakootas had been drinking at a nearby tavern during the early morning hours of September 5. When the tavern closed, Kevin Pakootas went to a house party near his home on Moccasin Run. Kevin Pakootas left the house party at about 4:30 a.m., went home and claimed to have found his wife, Colette Pakootas, having intimate relations with Mark Edgette. Kevin Pakootas beat the two until they were unconscious. Mark Edgette and Colette Pakootas were initially hospitalized in the intensive care unit and remained in critical condition. Colette Pakootas succumbed to the blunt impact trauma injuries to her head and was pronounced dead on September 11, 2009. Mark Edgette’s injuries included a traumatic brain injury, multiple skull fractures, as well as a fractured nose, cheekbone, eye socket, and lower jaw and a laceration from a chain saw bar, extending the length of his head. Mark Edgette’s injuries are permanent, disabling and debilitating and he continues to require medical attention.

The District Court also sentenced Kevin Pakootas to 37 months in prison for the assault with a dangerous weapon, to be served concurrently with the 20-year prison sentence, five years of court supervision after release, and an order of restitution in the amount of $152,678.11.

Michael C. Ormsby, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, said, “I commend the hard work and professionalism of the Colville Tribal Police Department working with the FBI to bring this case to justice.”

This investigation was conducted by the Colville Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Jill Bolton and Stephanie Van Marter, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.