A 47-year-old man has admitted to murder for shooting a house party guest in the northern Minnesota city of Cass Lake.
Man pleads guilty to shooting house party guest in northern Minnesota city of Cass Lake
The plea agreement calls for William Headbird to receive a sentence of 19 1⁄2 years.
May 9, 2023 at 8:49PM
William J. Headbird, of Cass Lake, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder and illegal weapons possession in connection with the shooting of Diego Gasca, 34, on July 5, 2021.
Headbird was arrested in Grand Rapids, Minn., a year later and remains jailed ahead of sentencing on June 28.
The plea agreement between the defense and the prosecution calls for Headbird to receive a sentence of 19½ years. With credit for time in jail since his arrest, he is expected to serve the first 12 years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
According to the criminal complaint:
Sheriff's deputies summoned to a home near Basswood Avenue and NW. 4th Street found Gasca, of Cass Lake, down in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest. Emergency responders took him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A group of people walked through the party scene shortly before the shooting, and "a verbal altercation" ensued that included Gasca. Moments later, gunfire from a car hit Gasca.
Law enforcement determined that the car belonged to Headbird, who told officials that he was drunk that night and didn't know the location of his car.
About a month later, law enforcement found his car "on a property belonging to a former relation of his," the complaint read. The vehicle was partly dismantled and covered with debris in an attempt to conceal it. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found Headbird's fingerprints on car parts and his DNA on the driver's side interior door handle.
Republicans across the country benefited from favorable tailwinds as President-elect Donald Trump resoundingly defeated Democrat Kamala Harris. But that wasn’t the whole story in Minnesota.
