Red Lake Man Sentenced To 108 Months In Prison For Attempting To Murder Minor Victim

Defendant and minor victim were rival gang members involved in a dispute

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of DOMINIC EDWARD DESJARLAIT, 19, to 108 months in prison for assault with intent to commit murder. DESJARLAIT, who pleaded guilty on December 19, 2018, was sentenced today before Judge Joan N. Erickson in United States District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to documents filed with the court, including a law enforcement affidavit, during the evening hours of August 29, 2018, DESJARLAIT began an argument with the victim and a group of six other minor males at a grocery store on the Red Lake Reservation. The victim and the group of minor males left the grocery store and relocated to a residence on the reservation. DESJARLAIT also left the grocery store and followed the group, riding in a black SUV. Upon reaching the residence, DESJARLAIT exited the vehicle with a firearm, shouted the victim’s name and began firing multiple shots at the victim and the group of six other minor males. Multiple bullets hit two nearby residences that were occupied at the time.

DESJARLAIT also admitted to a previous assault with intent to commit murder against the same victim. On July 28, 2017, DESJARLAIT emerged from a wooded area on the Red Lake Reservation, near a residence where the victim and other males were located. DESJARLAIT fired a shotgun at the victim, causing wounds to his face and upper body.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force and Red Lake Department of Public Safety. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, an initiative that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Munoz-Kaphing prosecuted the case.

Defendant Information:

DOMINIC EDWARD DESJARLAIT, 19

Red Lake, Minn.

Convicted:

    Assault With Intent To Commit Murder, 1 count

Sentenced:

    108 months in prison

    Three years of supervised release

    $715.83 in restitution