GREAT FALLS - The United States Attorney’s Office announced that on March 2, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris, Delvin Conrad Chad Red Eagle was sentenced to 158 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and required to pay a special assessment of $100.
Red Eagle shot his girlfriend with a .270 rifle in Poplar, Montana, in January of 2016. Immediately after the shooting, Red Eagle stuck the .270 under his girlfriend, called 911, and claimed that his girlfriend “committed suicide.” Authorities arrived on scene and initially believed Red Eagle’s story. The family of the victim was informed of the alleged suicide.
But local law enforcement and the FBI preserved the scene and continued to investigate for any foul play. In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Weldon, an autopsy concluded that due to the measurements of the rifle and the victim’s physical traits, “[I]t would not have been physically possible for the decedent to sustain a self-inflicted, close-range gunshot wound with the rifle recovered from the scene.”
The FBI re-interviewed Red Eagle on March 2, 2016, who finally admitted that he took the gun away from the victim and pointed it at her. Red Eagle then pulled the trigger, claiming he did not expect the firearm to fire a round. The bullet, however, struck the victim in the head and killed her.
At sentencing, the family of the victim explained to the Court that they knew the case was not a suicide, the victim was an integral part of their family, and Red Eagle’s actions had catastrophic consequences. As a result, the Court sentenced Red Eagle to 158 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the truth in sentencing guidelines mandate that Red Eagle will likely serve all of the time imposed by the Court. In the federal system, Red Eagle does have the opportunity to shorten the term of custody by earning credit for good behavior. However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice.