Wolf Point homicide began in Tribal Court before federal manslaughter case

A Wolf Point man has been sentenced to nearly 11 years in federal prison for his role in the beating death of Gifford Standing, bringing the first sentencing in a homicide case that began in Fort Peck Tribal Court more than a year ago.

Calvin Florin Lester, 37, was sentenced Thursday, Sept. 3, to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Lester pleaded guilty in May to voluntary manslaughter.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris imposed the sentence in Great Falls.

Standing was found dead Feb. 26, 2025, on the second floor of an abandoned house in Wolf Point. Federal prosecutors said Lester, Abrianne Lillian Deserly and Dillon Demery Wetsit had been drinking before entering the building during the early morning hours.

Standing was asleep upstairs when the group arrived, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. An argument later broke out and prosecutors said Lester, Deserly and Wetsit began striking Standing and severely beating him.

At one point, Standing was placed in a chokehold while others continued hitting him. A medical examination determined Standing died from homicidal violence that included neck compression and blunt-force injuries to his head.

The case initially unfolded through the Fort Peck Tribes justice system.

Within days of Standing’s death, Fort Peck Tribal Law Enforcement had taken four people into custody: Lester, Deserley, Wetsit and Michael Menz. An early Journal report said all four went through a probable cause hearing before murder charges were formally filed.

They were later brought before Fort Peck Tribal Court Judge Lonnie Headdress during a special arraignment.

Deserley and Lester were formally charged in Tribal Court with murder, while Wetsit and Menz were charged with complicity to murder. All four pleaded not guilty and were remanded into tribal custody after prosecutors cited the seriousness of the allegations, public safety concerns and the possibility that the defendants could flee.

The original tribal court complaint provided one of the earliest detailed accounts of what investigators believed happened inside the building at or near 204 First Avenue South.

According to those court documents, investigators alleged Deserley repeatedly kicked and punched Standing in the head and face while Lester placed Standing in a chokehold and physically assaulted him. The complaint alleged the beating continued after Standing was knocked back to the ground.

Wetsit and Menz were initially accused in Tribal Court of being present during the killing and failing to intervene or seek help. Prosecutors alleged their inaction aided or facilitated the killing. The complaint also alleged Menz urinated on Standing’s body following the fatal assault.

The later federal account differs somewhat from those initial tribal allegations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office now says Lester, Deserly and Wetsit participated in physically beating Standing.

The investigation was conducted jointly from its early stages by the Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI.

The federal government later took up the homicide prosecution.

On April 29, 2025, Lester and Deserly were arraigned in U.S. District Court on federal charges of second-degree murder. Both pleaded not guilty and were detained pending further proceedings. At the time, each faced a potential maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

The case ultimately did not go to trial on those charges.

Lester and Deserly each pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in May 2026. Wetsit pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in June.

Lester is the first of the three federal defendants to be sentenced.

Deserly is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 14, while Wetsit is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 15, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Menz, who was originally charged with complicity to murder in Fort Peck Tribal Court, was not identified as a defendant in Thursday’s federal sentencing announcement. The federal release does not address the disposition of his tribal case.

Standing’s killing generated widespread anger and grief in Wolf Point. Days after his death, community members held a “Stop the Violence” march through downtown Wolf Point as investigators worked to identify and arrest those believed responsible.

More than 18 months after Standing was killed, Lester’s sentence marks the first federal punishment handed down in the case.