US EditionBureau of Indian Affairs officer pleads guilty to sexually abusing teen on Montana reservation
He faces up to life in prison for sexual abuse and eight years for lying after prosecutors said he tried to hide the assault.
- On Thursday, former Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer Murrell Douglas Deela pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old Northern Cheyenne girl on the reservation on August 7, 2024, and lying to the FBI about the incident.
- Deela admitted he drove the intoxicated teenager to a secluded park to avoid patrol car cameras before assaulting her, then attempted to destroy his patrol vehicle by intentionally setting it on fire.
- FBI Laboratory analysis concluded DNA evidence was 99,000 times more likely to be Deela's than an unknown person's; ATF investigation confirmed the patrol vehicle fire was intentionally set.
- U.S. Marshals took Deela into custody immediately following the hearing; prosecutors agreed to recommend a 17.5-year prison sentence, though the felony sexual assault charge carries a potential life sentence.
- The FBI is currently investigating additional allegations involving another youth victim, while the Northern Cheyenne tribal council previously banned Deela from the reservation due to grave concerns about his conduct.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Ex-Law Officer Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse on Reservation
Former Bureau of Indian Affairs officer Murrell Deela pleaded guilty to sexual abuse after raping an intoxicated 14-year-old girl on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Deela attempted to destroy evidence by burning his patrol car. He faces severe penalties but may receive a reduced sentence through a plea deal.
Associated Press News
Bureau of Indian Affairs officer pleads guilty to sexually abusing teen on Montana reservation
A former law enforcement officer for the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs Officer has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing an intoxicated 14-year-old girl on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana.
Montana Standard
BIA cop admits to raping teen on reservation, torching patrol car to stymie investigation
An ex-federal agent admitted to raping a girl on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, then attempting to ward off an investigation by torching his own patrol vehicle.
Daily Montanan
KPVIFormer BIA officer pleads guilty to sexually assaulting a teenager, lying to the FBI
The James F. Battin federal courthouse in Billings, Montana (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan). A former Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer charged with sexually assaulting a Northern Cheyenne teenager while in custody and lying to the FBI about the incident changed his plea in federal court Thursday, and was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service. While the court hearing before U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer c…
Ex-BIA officer admits to raping teen on Northern Cheyenne reservation, DOJ says
A former federal Bureau of Indian Affairs officer pleaded guilty Thursday to sexual abuse of a minor on the Northern Cheyenne reservation while on duty in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.Murrell Deela, then 29, was working for the agency on Aug. 7, 2024, when he apprehended the teenage girl and took her to an alternative location and allegedly raped her, the agency said in a news release.The girl reported the incident the next …
Former U.S. Bureau of Indian affairs Officer indicted on sexual assault charges
A former officer of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has been formally indicted for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, in a case that has drawn nationwide attention to abuses of authority within federal agencies. According to court documents and media reports, the accused, Muriel Dela, admitted to the crime, which occurred on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana in August 2024. The indictment states that Dela used his offici…
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