GRAND FORKS, ND (trfnews.i234.me) – Kolby Jae McKay, a Fort Totten resident, is facing a second-degree murder charge following an incident that led to an April lockdown on the Spirit Lake Reservation. Authorities announced a search for McKay on April 4, and he surrendered by April 8, according to a statement from the Spirit Lake Tribe.
A sealed indictment, which was filed on July 17 and unsealed on July 24, accuses McKay of unlawfully killing an unnamed individual with malice aforethought on April 3. Both McKay and the deceased are Native American, and the crime occurred on Native land. If convicted, McKay could face a life sentence.
Additional charges against McKay include assault with a dangerous weapon and strangulation of a domestic partner, stemming from an alleged incident on March 13 in Fort Totten. The victim, reportedly in a relationship with McKay, was found by her father barely breathing. She accused McKay of choking her, holding a knife to her neck, and other forms of assault.
McKay’s detention hearing was canceled, and he has been appointed a public defender. His jury trial is scheduled for September 24 and is expected to last three days.