Billings Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Murder on Crow Reservation

BILLINGS — A Billings woman accused of killing someone on the Crow Indian Reservation pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal murder and gun charges in Billings Federal District Court.

Dameka Rose American Horse, 26, was arraigned on charges of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Cavan ordered her detained pending further proceedings.

The indictment alleges that on Nov. 22, 2024, near Pryor, American Horse “unlawfully and with malice aforethought, that is deliberately and intentionally, killed John Doe, and aided and abetted the same.” The victim’s identity has not been publicly released.

According to court documents, the grand jury made a specific finding that “the firearm was discharged” during the incident, which triggers enhanced federal penalties.

American Horse faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on the murder charge. The firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment that must be served consecutively to any other sentence, along with a $250,000 fine and five years of supervised release.

The case is being prosecuted under the Major Crimes Act, which gives federal courts jurisdiction over serious crimes committed in Indian Country. The indictment identifies American Horse as “an Indian person,” a legally significant designation for federal jurisdiction.

“Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks is prosecuting the case,” according to a Department of Justice press release. “The FBI and BIA conducted the investigation.”

A trial is scheduled for July 28 before Senior U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon in Billings. The trial is expected to last five days. A plea agreement deadline has been set for July 7.

The case is part of ongoing federal prosecutions of violent crimes on Montana’s tribal lands. In August, a Wyoming man was sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for sexually assaulting a woman on the Crow Indian Reservation.

The charges in the indictment are allegations, and American Horse is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.