Blood Tribe man given eight-years for beating death of common-law spouse

Peterson explained that evidence of previous abusive behaviour towards the victim, witness testimony that Day Rider threatened and assaulted Medicine Crane on the night she was killed and the fact that she suffered multiple injuries, were the key factors in his decision.

He emphasized the point on the multiple injuries, saying it wasn’t a single, accidental blow that killed Medicine Crane. An autopsy revealed that she died from multiple blunt-force injuries to her head, neck, torso and extremities. Her heart, liver and a kidney had all been damaged, and the medical examiner noted that a broken bone in her neck may have been the result of strangulation.

“There is no question that what took place was horrific,” Peterson stated.

Following the decision, Medicine Crane’s family hugged outside the Fort Macleod courtroom, thankful that the process has come to an end, more than two-years after Brittany was killed.

“This isn’t going to bring my daughter back,” said Brittany’s mother, Dorothy Medicine Crane. “May she rest in peace.”

Day Rider’s family spoke to the media outside the courthouse, maintaining that he had nothing to do with Medicine Crane’s death.

“We all know that my nephew is innocent. He’s innocent,” said Day Rider’s aunt, Crystal Crying Head. “All the [history of spousal abuse and violence] that they talked about were all his past doings. I know him as being loving, caring. All the things that they talked about in there were all from his past when he was younger.”

Facts of the case

During the trial, multiple witnesses testified that they had attended a birthday party for the couple’s two-year old daughter, in which the adults consumed a great deal of alcohol and drugs, including Oxy 80.

Several of them also told the court that they saw Day Rider come up behind Medicine Crane and put her in a choke-hold, and that they then wrestled on the ground.

The next morning, May 21, 2015, Dorothy and several family members went to the couple’s home in Standoff to check on Medicine Crane. They found her cold to the touch in her bed, and Day Rider fled when one of her brothers attacked him.

Police later tracked down and arrested Day Rider, with Medicine Crane’s blood still on his pants. His blood was found under one of her finger nails, and it was noted that Day Rider’s face was scratched and bloodied.

Members of Medicine Crane’s family stated that the violence between the two was nothing new, with Dorothy saying she begged her daughter to leave Day Rider on multiple occasions.

Day Rider’s lawyer elected to call no evidence in the trial, saying during closing arguments that Medicine Crane likely sustained her injuries during a fall, as she was heavily intoxicated. Judge Peterson called the suggestion “wholly unreasonable.”

by Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Blood Tribe man given eight-years for beating death of common-law spouse

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