Assault, strangulation of partner sends Browning man to prison for more than four years

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

GREAT FALLS — A Browning man who admitted to strangling and beating a dating partner, causing serious injury, was sentenced today to four years and two months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

The defendant, Emerson John No Runner, Jr., 48, pleaded guilty in February to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault of a dating partner by strangulation and suffocation.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that in March 2022 in Browning, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, No Runner and his then-girlfriend, identified as Jane Doe, had been drinking together and had slept at a relative’s trailer. The two were alone when No Runner started arguing with Jane Doe about perceived infidelity. No Runner straddled Jane Doe on a mattress, placed his hands around her neck and applied pressure. Jane Doe lost consciousness and woke up in a pool of blood. Jane Doe also found pieces of wood in her hair. Officers seized a piece of wood with apparent blood and hair. Jane Doe suffered a brain injury and bruising on her neck. In a Facebook message to Jane Doe in December 2023, 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.

XXX