Former Keshena resident sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for voluntary manslaughter and related crimes on the Menominee Indian

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on June 3, 2023, Duane A. Waupoose, Jr. (Age 29), was sentenced to a total of 14 years in federal prison following his convictions at trial for voluntary manslaughter, assault with a dangerous weapon, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. The convictions related to an armed assault which resulted in the death of a man on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Waupoose and the victim were enrolled members of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and formerly resided on the reservation.  Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach also imposed a 60-month term of supervised release to be served upon Waupoose’s release from prison. 

The evidence presented at trial showed that around midnight on January 31, 2021, the defendant and others were approached by a group looking to fight another person. A fight broke out in the driveway of a home in the School View area of the Menominee Indian Reservation, and Waupoose received minor injuries after being shot. Waupoose then disarmed the man who shot him and pursued him down the driveway and into the street, striking the man with the shotgun.

The evidence also showed that after the man subsequently fled, Waupoose caught up with him approximately 40 yards down the road and repeatedly struck him on the face and head, causing serious injuries which eventually resulted in his death.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Griesbach commented, “A life was lost, and it was lost without justification . . . there is no justification for the brutal beating Mr. Waupoose delivered.”  Judge Greisbach further noted that the serious nature of the crime, the lasting impact on the victim’s family, and the need to deter others from engaging in similar conduct warranted a lengthy sentence.  

The Menominee Tribal Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew J. Maier and Peter J. Smyczek prosecuted the case in United States District Court.

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For Additional Information Contact:

Public Information Officer

Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

414-297-1700

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