BILLINGS – One of two men accused of decapitating a winning casino patron in Montana has pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide.
The Billings Gazette reports 35-year-old Jeffery Haverty entered his plea Tuesday in the October 2017 death of 41-year-old Myron Knight. Attorneys agreed to recommend 50 years in prison with no parole restriction and 20 years of probation.
Haverty had already pleaded guilty as part of a deal that called for 50 years in prison only, with no probation term. A judge rejected that plea, saying 50 years alone was insufficient.
Haverty’s co-defendant, Donald Cherry, is facing trial for deliberate homicide, evidence tampering, witness tampering and intimidation. Prosecutors say he hid Knight’s remains and belongings and tried to intimidate his girlfriend and tell her that her memory was incorrect during conversations from the jail. Police say Cherry’s girlfriend previously told them both Cherry and Haverty killed Knight.
Haverty and Cherry met Knight at the Montana Lil’s Casino in Billings on Oct. 26, 2017. Investigators say the three were headed to a transient camp nearby when Knight asked a casino employee to hold his $120 in winnings, believing he might be robbed.
Haverty and Cherry are accused of killing Knight and taking turns cutting of his head. Knight had $6 on him when he was killed.