Turtle Mountain Descendant Kills Himself After Guilty Verdict in Federal Court

FARGO, N.D. - Minutes after a jury returned a partial guilty verdict for an incident that happened two years ago on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in north central North Dakota, the convicted man killed himself on Monday, May 17. The jury had just been escorted out of the courtroom.

Jeffrey Sahl Ferris, 54, of Belcourt, N.D., was not identified initially, but his case was the only one scheduled in the Quentin N. Burdick U.S. Courthouse in Fargo.

According to the United States Marshals Service, Ferris slit his throat with an object that appeared to be a pen or a plastic shank. Sources speaking to Native News Online on condition on anonymity confirmed that Ferris grabbed an envelope opener after U.S. District Judge Peter Welte denied Ferris's request to be released for 24 hours before returning to jail.

https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/turtle-mountain-descendant-kills-himself-after-guilty-verdict-in-federal-court