Man sentenced to life in prison for death of five-year-old

Chief Judge Peter Welte handed down the sentence to Erich Longie, Jr. of Tokio.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — One of the two people involved in the death of a five-year-old girl on the Spirit Lake Reservation has been sentenced to life in prison.

Chief Judge Peter Welte handed down the sentence to Erich Longie, Jr. of Tokio, North Dakota in federal court. Longie, Jr. plead guilty multiple felony charges involving First-Degree Felony Murder, Child Abuse and Child Neglect.

In May 2020, law enforcement went to the home and found the bruised body of a child in the basement. The child along with a sibling were in foster care with Longie, Jr. and his wife, Tammy. Two biological kids were also found to be abused.

Tammy is set to be sentenced August 9.