(Casper, WY) – United States Attorney Bob Murray announced in a press release dated Wednesday, December 22nd 2021, that a federal jury returned a not guilty verdict in a case against Burdette Mesteth, a.k.a. Burdette Seminole, 32, of Ethete, for involuntary manslaughter.
The trial took place in Casper before Chief Federal District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl and lasted three days.
The indictment stemmed from a September 13, 2020, motor vehicle crash on Blue Sky Highway on the Wind River Reservation during which an occupant was ejected and declared deceased at the scene, while Mesteth was entrapped in the driver’s seat and had to be extricated from the vehicle.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Wyoming Highway Patrol.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy W. Gist prosecuted the case.
This post has been updated to include a link to the original press release from the US Attorney’s Office.