Fort Belknap man sentenced to more than three years in prison for stabbing woman on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation

GREAT FALLS - A Fort Belknap man who admitted stabbing a woman multiple times during an argument on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation was sentenced today to three years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Leon Boyd Messerly, 64, pleaded guilty in July to assault with a dangerous weapon.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that on July 13, 2023, in their home on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, Messerly and the victim, identified as Jane Doe, got into a fight. Jane Doe stated that Messerly was angry at her for not protecting his son and punched her in the face. Messerly also grabbed a chef's knife and stabbed Jane Doe multiple times in her neck, back and left arm. Messerly then went to a friend's house and told the friend that he had stabbed Jane Doe. The friend checked on Jane Doe and drove her to the emergency room. Jane Doe was transported to a hospital in Great Falls where she underwent multiple surgeries.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Fort Belknap Police Department conducted the investigation.

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