A Poplar man was sentenced in federal court Wednesday after he admitted to beating a man to death during a quarrel in July 2017.
Errol Wayne Longee, 35, was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison and to three years of supervised release.
Longee pleaded guilty in November to voluntary manslaughter for the July 1, 2017 death of a man at a Poplar residence.
Prosecutors said Longee and the victim were hanging out and drinking in the backyard of a residence when another individual arrived.
That individual made accusations against the victim and starting punching the victim in the face, according to the Department of Justice.
Longee then started assaulting the victim by kicking him in the face and stomping on his head.
Longee left the scene and later told a relative that he thought he had killed the victim, according to a press release.
When interviewed by law enforcement, Longee admitted to kicking and hitting the victim several times.
(MAY 18, 2018) Nearly one year after a Poplar man was beaten to death outside a convenience store, one of the three suspects charged in Fort Peck Tribal Court has been charged in federal court.
Errol Longee, 35, is charged in U.S. District Court in Billings with one count of second-degree murder.
Longee is accused in the murder of Patrick Mitchell, who died after an assault on July 1, 2017.
The case was filed in April but it wasn’t unsealed until last week.
According to the federal charges, Longee killed Mitchell with “malice aforethought and aided and abetted the same.”
While the documents filed most recently in federal court provide limited information, the charges filed in tribal court last year offer more information about the deadly assault.
Four suspects, including Longee, were initially charged in tribal court. Those documents described the hours leading up to the assault behind TJ’s Quick Stop in Poplar.
An 18-year-old woman confronted Mitchell about abusing her years earlier and began punching him, according to tribal court documents.
The woman told authorities that Mitchell was letting her punch him and kept saying he was sorry.
Longee allegedly joined in on the assault and punched the victim 10 to 12 times.
One of the other suspects charged in tribal court, Darren Simmons, allegedly told a witness he “stomped on” the victim’s head and killed him.
According to tribal court documents, Simmons admitted he killed the victim. “I killed him,” Simmons said. “I did it, case closed.”
Simmons has not been charged with the murder in federal court.
(JULY 12, 2017) The 18-year-old suspect in the murder of a Poplar man earlier this month claimed she initiated the deadly assault out of revenge for abuse she received at that man’s hands when she was a child, according to court documents.
Angela Longee, 18, was recently charged in Fort Peck Tribal Court with one count of murder for the beating death of Patrick Mitchell, 41.
Mitchell was found dead behind TJ’s Quick Stop in Poplar in the early morning hours of July 1.
Errol Longee, 34, Tamara Red Eagle, 30, and Darren Simmons, 67, were also charged in connection to the murder.
According to court documents, Angela Longee confronted Mitchell about abusing her years ago and began punching the victim while he was lying on the ground.
Angela Longee told authorities that Mitchell was letting her punch him and kept saying he was sorry, according to court documents.
The woman said she attempted to kick Mitchell, but fell down.
Errol Longee, who was also charged in tribal court with murder, allegedly joined in on the assault and punched the victim 10 to 12 times.
Tamara Red Eagle was charged in tribal court with accessory to murder, though court documents do not explain how Red Eagle was involved in Mitchell’s murder.
Darren Simmons was also charged in tribal court with murder after he allegedly told a nearby homeowner he had “stomped on” the victim’s head and killed him.
Law enforcement found Simmons, Errol and Angela Longee with blood on their clothes and shoes.
When questioned about the murder, Simmons allegedly told officers “I killed him” and “I did it, case closed.”
Simmons was also charged with assaulting an officer after he allegedly kicked an officer between the legs during questioning.
The suspects are in tribal custody until the case is filed by federal prosecutors.
