BILLINGS—A Garryowen woman who admitted killing a man by
running over him with a minivan as he was walking along a road on the Crow
Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 10 years in prison and to five years
of supervised release, said U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.
Vernelle Lynn Badbear, 36, pleaded guilty in October to
second degree murder in the November 2016 death of the victim.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided.
Court records filed by the prosecution said that a highway
road painter found a body on Highway 451 near Wyola on Nov. 12, 2016. The body
was identified through tattoos. Knowing that the deceased had been in a
relationship with Badbear and lived nearby, law enforcement officers began an
investigation with her.
Badbear initially told investigators she and the victim had
argued on Nov. 4, he had left the house and that she had not seen him since.
After further questioning, Badbear admitted she had run over the victim.
Badbear admitted that she got upset with the victim because
he was drinking alcohol when he was supposed to watch the children. The victim
left the house and began walking down the road. Badbear admitted driving after
the victim in her minivan, hitting him and then running over him. An autopsy
determined the cause of death was blunt force trauma consistent with having
been hit and run over by a vehicle and that it would have taken some time for
the victim to die.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Suek prosecuted the case, which
was investigated by the FBI.
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