Ponemah Man Pleads Guilty to Murder After Violent Assault

A Ponemah man pleaded guilty today to second degree murder after violently assaulting a woman on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, in 2019, William Jones IV, 24, and the victim were involved in a romantic relationship and lived together at the victim’s house in Ponemah. During the evening of November 6, 2019, Jones repeatedly assaulted the victim in their residence, hitting her on the shoulders, arms, and torso, and throwing her against a wall. After the assault the victim fell to the floor and struck her head. Jones did not contact emergency personnel or attempt to render aid. The victim remained in the house unconscious for almost two days, where Jones chose not to contact emergency personnel or otherwise render any aid to the victim.

According to the court documents, on November 8, 2019, Jones’s mother contacted emergency personnel after arriving at the house and observing the victim’s condition. The victim was transported to Sanford Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota, where medical personnel determined that the victim suffered a traumatic brain injury, which caused the victim to remain in a persistent vegetative state with no hope for recovery. As a result of her injuries, the victim died on November 22, 2019.

Jones pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder before U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.