A second person has been sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for the 2025 killing of Wolf Point man Gifford Standing, a case that began with four arrests and murder charges in Fort Peck Tribal Court.

Abrianne Lillian Deserly, 26, of Wolf Point, was sentenced Monday, Sept. 14, to 11 years and four months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana.

Deserly pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in August. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris imposed the sentence.

Her sentencing comes less than two weeks after Calvin Florin Lester, 37, of Wolf Point, was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison, also followed by three years of supervised release. Lester pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in May.

Both were originally among four people arrested by tribal and federal investigators following Standing’s death.

Case began in Fort Peck Tribal Court

Standing, 48, was found dead Feb. 26, 2025, inside an abandoned building in Wolf Point. Fort Peck Tribal Police later reported that his death had been determined to be a homicide. Within days, Deserly, Lester, Dillon Wetsit and Michael Menz were identified as people of interest and taken into custody.

The Journal followed the case as it initially moved through the Fort Peck Tribal Court system.

During a special arraignment, Deserly and Lester were charged with murder, while Wetsit and Menz were charged with complicity to murder. All four pleaded not guilty. Tribal prosecutors asked that they remain jailed because of the seriousness of the allegations, public-safety concerns and the possibility they could flee. Judge Lonnie Headdress ordered all four held in tribal custody.

The allegations contained in those early tribal court documents provided a detailed account of Standing’s death.

According to the documents, the assault occurred between approximately 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Feb. 26, 2025, near 204 First Avenue South in Wolf Point.

Tribal prosecutors alleged Deserly repeatedly kicked and punched Standing in the head and face while Lester placed him in a chokehold and physically assaulted him. After Standing was back on the ground, prosecutors alleged Deserly and Lester continued beating him until he died.

Wetsit and Menz were initially accused in Tribal Court of being present during the killing and failing to intervene, seek help or report the crime. Menz was further accused in the tribal complaint of urinating on Standing’s body following the fatal assault.

The case was investigated jointly by Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation and the FBI and ultimately moved into the federal court system.

Federal prosecution

Federal prosecutors described the building where Standing was found as a local “flop house” where people occasionally went to drink and sleep.

According to the government, Deserly, Lester and Wetsit went into the house during the early morning hours after a night of drinking and found Standing asleep on the second floor. An argument followed and the three began striking him.

A witness reported seeing Deserly kick Standing in the face. At one point Standing was placed in a chokehold while others continued hitting him, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A medical examination determined Standing died from “homicidal violence” involving neck compression and blunt injuries to his head. The same basic account was presented by federal prosecutors when Lester was sentenced earlier this month.

Deserly’s sentence makes her the second defendant sent to federal prison for Standing’s death.

A third defendant, Dillon Demery Wetsit, 41, has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 15.

Federal prosecutors’ sentencing releases concerning Lester and Deserly do not list Menz as one of the three defendants convicted or awaiting sentencing in the federal manslaughter cases. Your original reporting establishes that he was nevertheless one of the four defendants initially charged in Tribal Court. That’s worth retaining because it accurately documents how the case began rather than making it appear there were only three suspects from the outset.

The killing drew significant attention in Wolf Point. In the days following Standing’s death, about 30 people participated in a “stop the violence” march through downtown Wolf Point as the community called for action over his death and other recent violence.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the federal case. Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation and the FBI conducted the investigation.