Defendant Sentenced To 30 Years For Kidnapping And Violently Assaulting Three Victims On The Red Lake Indian Reservation

United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger today announced the sentencing of DARRELL ALAN LUSSIER, 36, to 360 months in federal prison for kidnapping and violently assaulting three victims on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. On September 3, 2015, following a four-day trial, a federal jury found LUSSIER guilty of all counts. The defendant was sentenced on January 20, 2016 before Judge Richard H. Kyle in U.S. District Court in Duluth, Minn.                 

As proven at trial, on February 9, 2015, LUSSIER used his fists and feet to assault victim G.L.M. after the two individuals got into a verbal argument with each other at G.L.M.’s home. The defendant continued to brutally beat the victim before wrapping a shoelace around the victim’s neck in an attempt to strangle him. LUSSIER then threw the victim into a crawlspace beneath the home. After assaulting G.L.M., LUSSIER brutally assaulted two other victims, D.M.R., who is legally blind, and D.M.R.’s sister, N.L.R., and then threw them into the crawlspace before leaving the house. The three victims were found the next day and taken to the Red Lake Hospital and subsequently transferred to Sanford Hospital in Fargo, all suffering from traumatic brain injuries and various broken bones and other injuries.

Because the Red Lake Indian Reservation is a federal-jurisdiction reservation, some of the crimes that occur there are investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Those cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

To learn more about the Justice Department’s Tribal Safety program, visit http://www.justice.gov/tribal/.

These cases resulted from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Red Lake Police Department.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deidre Y. Aanstad.

Defendant Information:

DARRELL ALAN LUSSIER, 36

Red Lake, Minn.

Convicted:

• Kidnapping, 3 counts

• Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, 3 counts

Sentenced:

• 360 months in prison

• Five years supervised release

   

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  United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600