(Hays) A Hays man admitted to fatally stabbing a woman during a quarrel on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.
The defendant, 24-year-old Tonylee Andrew Sears, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter as charged in an indictment. Sears faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
The government alleged in court documents that in the early morning hours of Jan. 13, 2024, Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services responded to reports of a stabbing at Sears’ home. Officers encountered Sears, a witness, identified as John Doe, and the victim, identified as Jane Doe. Jane Doe was on the living room floor, bleeding, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
In an interview with law enforcement, John Doe said he and Jane Doe had gone to Sears’ house to drink alcohol and hang out and that the victim and Sears argued. The argument escalated, and Sears grabbed a knife and stabbed Jane Doe while she was on the ground. John Doe pulled Sears off the victim and called 911. Sears threw the knife in the kitchen sink. When interviewed, Sears admitted that he and the victim rolled around on the floor after an argument, and he stabbed her. Officers recovered a knife from the kitchen sink. An autopsy report concluded that Jane Doe died from a stab wound.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
