BILLINGS — A Lame Deer man accused of fatally stabbing another man during an argument at a Crow Agency convenience store on the Crow Indian Reservation admitted to a manslaughter charge today, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
James Posey Fisher Sr., 35, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Fisher faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for July 8. Fisher was detained pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that on June 28, 2020, at the Teepee Station convenience store in Crow Agency, Fisher stabbed the victim, identified as John Doe, once in the chest. The victim died of a single stab wound before reaching the hospital. Fisher and victim were with other individuals and were drinking heavily. At some point, John Doe started teasing Fisher about a fight the previous evening, saying he had to finish what Fisher had started. Fisher and John Doe began arguing in a car that Fisher was driving and continued the argument when they got out at the convenience store. The argument turned physical. Witnesses thought it was only a fist fight until John Doe backed up suddenly, ran a short distance and collapsed. Witnesses realized John Doe had been stabbed because he was bleeding. Fisher jumped back into the car and drove away.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lori Harper Suek and Jeanne R. Torske and student intern, Alex Butler, are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI.
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