A 48-year-old Browning man who admitted to strangling and beating his romantic partner, which caused serious injury, was sentenced today to four years and two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Emerson John No Runner, Jr. pleaded guilty in February to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault of a dating partner by strangulation and suffocation before Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris.
According to court documents, No Runner and his then-girlfriend in March 2022 had been drinking together in Browning on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and had slept at a relative’s trailer.
The couple was alone when No Runner began arguing with the victim about perceived infidelity. No Runner straddled her on a mattress, placed his hands around her neck and applied pressure, causing the victim to lose consciousness before waking up in a pool of blood with pieces of wood in her hair.
Officers seized a piece of wood with apparent blood and hair. The victim suffered a brain injury and bruising on her neck, records state.
In a December 2023 Facebook message to the victim, No Runner referenced the assault, stating, “the plan was to kill you that day should of, so bye bitch.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and FBI conducted the investigation.