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Posted on: February 7, 2026, 12:28h.
Last updated on: February 6, 2026, 02:29h.
- A North Dakota man says he did not stab a woman to death inside a tribal casino
- Casino surveillance doesn’t show any person entering or exiting the hotel room
- The suspect says he awoke to find a dead woman in his hotel room
A North Dakota man accused of stabbing a woman to death inside a tribal casino hotel room has pleaded not guilty.
Last month, law enforcement officers with the Rolette County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Sky Dancer Casino & Resort in Belcourt, North Dakota, where 58-year-old Rigoberto Mendez Morales said he awoke to find a woman dead in his hotel room. The victim was identified as a Native woman enrolled with the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.
During a Zoom appearance in the North Dakota’s US District Court from the Ward County Jail, Mendez Morales, through his Spanish interpreter, pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder within Indian country.
US Magistrate Judge Alice Senechal ordered that Mendez Morales remain in custody until his jury trial begins on April 14.
Affidavit Shines Details
The criminal complaint details that at approximately 6:07 am on the morning of Jan. 10, 2026, the Rolette County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call stating there was a person dead at the Sky Dancer Casino & Resort. Police officers responded to the property, owned and operated by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, where they found Mendez Morales sitting on the hotel room’s bed.
A female, identified only by her initials BTM, was located on the floor. Investigators said Mendez Morales had blood on his clothing and face, and his right eye was swollen and bleeding. BTM was determined to have been stabbed to death.
Video surveillance from the hotel hallway showed Mendez Morales and BTM enter the room shortly after midnight. No one else entered or exited the room until the police arrived.
When law enforcement detained Mendez Morales, they found he was in possession of a multi-tool (Leatherman-type), which was covered in what appeared to be blood. The FBI later collected the Leatherman multi-tool as evidence pursuant to a search warrant. A substance that appeared to be blood was observed on the knife blade of the Leatherman as well as what appeared to be long black human hairs, which law enforcement observed to be consistent with BTM,” the charging complaint detailed.
“Mendez Morales stated he consumed three alcoholic drinks while gambling. Mendez Morales did not recall returning to his room. Mendez Morales could not recall why he had blood on his pants, shirt, and multi-tool, and denied touching BTM when he saw she was on the floor and covered in blood. Mendez Morales stated he woke up on his bed and saw BTM was not moving,” the affidavit continued.
Possible Sentence
The US attorney alleges that Mendez Morales “did unlawfully kill a human being, namely, BTM, an Indian, with malice aforethought.” The federal crime is prosecuted under the Major Crimes Act.
A person found guilty of second-degree murder in Indian country faces life in prison.
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Devin O’Connor
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