Man Sentenced To 12 Years For Murder On Red Lake Reservation

BEMIDJI, Minn. (AP) — A man accused in the beating death of a woman on the Red Lake Indian Reservation was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison.

William Jones IV pleaded guilty last year to one count of second-degree murder for the 2019 killing at the victim's house in Ponemah, located on the north side of Lower Red Lake.

Authorities say Jones, 24, repeatedly assaulted the woman by hitting her and throwing her against the wall. At one point the victim's head was struck and she suffered a brain injury.

The woman remained in the house unconscious for two days and Jones made no attempt to contact emergency personnel or render first aid, prosecutors said. Jones' mother arrived at the home two days after the assault and called for help. The victim died in a Fargo, North Dakota hospital 16 days after she was beaten.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

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