Guilty pleas entered in Cass Lake case

WALKER - Two men charged in connection with the 2005 murder of Michael James Littlewolf at Cass Lake have pleaded guilty in Cass County District Court to felony second-degree unintentional murder and felony crime committed for the benefit of gangs.

Both appeared before Judge David Harrington. No sentencing dates have been set.

Mitchell Adam Lohnes, 24, Cass Lake, entered his guilty pleas Nov. 30. Angelo Roberto Blackfeather, 20, Cass Lake, entered his guilty pleas Dec. 1.

Kendall Earl White Ogema, 18, Cass Lake, pleaded guilty to the same charges April 25 in connection with Littlewolf's murder. He has yet to be sentenced.

Also charged with Littlewolf's murder is Michael Todd Fineday, 36, Cass Lake. He was scheduled for a Nov. 30 jury trial, which was canceled. His next trial date is set for March 20.

He faces charges of felony second-degree intentional murder, felony second-degree unintentional murder, felony kidnapping and felony crime committed for the benefit of gangs.

A Cass Lake police officer found Littlewolf lying unconscious on a Cass Lake street early the morning of Nov. 6, 2005. Littlewolf was taken to North Country Regional Hospital at Bemidji where he died Nov. 7, 2005, of closed head trauma.

According to the court complaints filed against the four defendants, it appeared tattoos had been forcibly removed from Littlewolf's body by cutting and/or burning.

Witnesses told officers Littlewolf had stumbled into a tent on Fineday's property Nov. 5, 2005, after reportedly recently leaving the Third Avenue Killers gang. Fineday reportedly headed that gang, the complaint indicates.

Witnesses indicated Fineday ordered Blackfeather, Lohnes and Ogema to assault Littlewolf and remove his tattoos, which they reportedly did with a razor and cigarette lighter.

They then reportedly removed his shoes, dragged him to an empty lot, pulling off some of his clothing. Littlewolf reportedly regained consciousness later that night and walked as far as where the officer found him again unconscious about 6 a.m.