BIA officer charged with sexual assault of Northern Cheyenne teen also linked to prior violent cases

A Bureau of Indian Affairs officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old Northern Cheyenne girl, according to the Daily Montanan.

Murrell D. Deela appeared in federal court in Billings, Montana, on Tuesday and denied the charge. Court documents allege Deela assaulted the teen on Aug. 7, 2024, after responding to a report of an intoxicated female in Lame Deer. The Daily Montanan reports that Deela also faces two civil lawsuits over police brutality (one brought by the victim in the sexual assault case) and was previously involved in a fatal 2021 shooting of a tribal member, for which the federal government paid $800,000 to the victim’s estate. The Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council banned Deela from the reservation in 2024.

Daily Montanan