From Game to Tragedy: How ‘Slap Boxing’ Turned Fatal on Fort Peck Reservation

GREAT FALLS — What began as a group of friends playing “slap boxing” in a Wolf Point yard on January 27, 2024, escalated into a fatal assault that left one man dead and another facing a decade in federal prison.

Roger Sylvan Bissonette III, 23, pleaded guilty this week to assault with a dangerous weapon in the death of John Doe on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The case illustrates how quickly recreational violence can turn deadly—and adds to a troubling pattern of serious crimes prosecuted in federal court from Montana’s tribal lands.

The Deadly Escalation

Court documents reveal a chilling sequence of events that began with what witnesses described as “slap boxing”—a form of recreational fighting where participants hit each other with open hands. But the game quickly escalated beyond its bounds.

When the group initially broke up, Doe approached the house demanding his phone back. That confrontation in the driveway would prove fatal.

Multiple witnesses described seeing Bissonette and co-defendants attacking Doe with weapons. One witness saw a person hit Doe with a bat, then watched as Bissonette joined in with a hammer. Another witness described the three attackers “jumping” Doe as he backed away.

Bissonette’s account to law enforcement differed significantly from witness testimony. He claimed Doe was chasing others with a knife, prompting him to retrieve a hammer from inside the house. According to Bissonette, after one co-defendant struck Doe with a bar, knocking him down, another co-defendant stabbed Doe in the chest as he tried to get back up. It was then that Bissonette began striking Doe in the head with the hammer—continuing even after Doe was down.

But independent witnesses reported seeing no knife in Doe’s possession.

The Aftermath

Doe died at the scene before law enforcement could arrive. The autopsy revealed he died from both blunt force trauma to the head from the hammer strikes and sharp force injuries to the chest from the stabbing—confirming the brutal nature of an assault that went far beyond any recreational fighting.

Bissonette now faces up to 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris will sentence him on October 30, 2025.

Pattern of Violence

The case adds to a concerning series of violent crimes prosecuted in federal court from Montana’s reservations. Just last month, Western Montana News reported on a Great Falls man sentenced to 31 months for strangulation and child abuse on Rocky Boy’s reservation and a Browning man sentenced to 30 months for sexual abuse of a minor.

These cases highlight ongoing challenges with violent crime in Indian Country, where complex jurisdictional issues often complicate law enforcement efforts. Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation to expand tribal courts’ authority to prosecute non-Native drug traffickers, acknowledging how jurisdictional gaps can be exploited.

The Bissonette case was investigated by the FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law & Justice, Wolf Point Police Department, and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation—a collaboration that demonstrates the multi-agency approach often required for reservation crimes.

Federal Response

The prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal program aimed at reducing violent crime through partnerships between law enforcement agencies and communities. The program has renewed focus on tribal lands, where violent crime rates often exceed national averages.

For Fort Peck tribal leaders like Chairman Justin Gray Hawk Sr., who recently praised congressional efforts to combat drug trafficking on reservations, the Bissonette case represents another tragic example of violence devastating tribal communities.

What started as friends engaging in recreational fighting ended with one dead and another facing a decade behind bars—a stark reminder of how quickly violence can spiral beyond control.