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THE Courage of Billy Fox

One witness, Billy Fox, did stand up in court and say that the statement attributed to him was a lie, that he never said those things.  He was arrested on the stand and hauled off to prison by order of Judge Benson. The Defense was not allowed to explore his statement, his testimony or his declaration. 

It took all the courage Billy had to speak the truth, knowing what would happen to him.  He found a moment of real dignity in himself that day.  He came to court wearing clean clothes, and had braided his hair like a warrior. Whatever happened to him, he would not bear the shame of lying, nor of keeping silent about what had been going on. Real courage.

He knew what had happened to those two young sisters that had been held at gunpoint by those brave FBI agents that I mentioned earlier.  This was a clear message to Billy, and others, that they had no choices. They had to tell the scripted testimony that Lynn Crooks, Dennis Fisher and Yankton and his stooges had conjured up or no one in their family would be safe. 

Billy was not so much worried about himself, but worried for his family.   He knew what the Yantkons were capable of when it came to little girls and boys.  No limit to who they would hurt or how in order to get what they wanted from him.

But,  he also knew that even if he told it the way they wanted him to, neither he nor his family would be truly safe.

Prison was hard on Billy.  He later died from the effects of alcoholism, but he remains, in my estimation, as a man of greater courage and integrity for this single act than any of the cowards that bullied him from the Prosecution Table or the Bench! 

Since the trial ended ALL of the so-called witnesses have all recanted except for two:  Sissy Big Track, aka Patricia DeMarce, who died of cancer/emphysema who was clinically diagnosed as a psychopathic liar (*The doctor who diagnosed her was not allowed to speak at the trial and her testimony was held in the highest regard by Judge Benson, despite the obvious flaws and contradictions it presented) and Mary MacDonald. 

On appeals, the US Attorney's Office maintains that Mary MacDonald's testimony alone is what holds up their case.  Mary has never recanted her testimony.  You will read later that she wasn't even in town at the time of the murder, but that was never allowed to be heard in court. 

A little something else the prosecution kept hidden from the defense regarding Mary MacDonald:  In a hand-written note, James Yankton's handwriting, in their first interview with Mary, she was shown a photo line-up of suspects and she could not identify Ricky LaFuente.  "With help, second time," the note reads, "she pointed to Ricky LaFuente!"  She later claimed to have been his girlfriend, and have been riding around with him when he told her that he had participated in the murder of  Eddie Peltier! But she was unable to identify him, without "help"??

Ricky LaFuente had never heard of Mary MacDonald, until she came to be a witness against him. A witness who had to have his picture pointed out to her in a line-up.

Mary's dad is a preacher.  Of course there is a warm corner in Hell waiting for his raggedy soul when he dies.  His friendship with the Yanktons, and the percs that come with that association have been common knowledge for decades.  He actually sold his daughter to James Yankton Jr. to do with as he wanted, to convince her to testify. 

She was, by the way, with her father and the rest of the family (23 family members, a small gathering by Indian Country standards) several days before the murder, at the bedside of her paternal grandmother, Olive Wells in Devils Lake (ND), where she lay on her deathbed. 

Olive died on August 27, 1983 (2 days prior to Eddie's Murder) and she was buried 3 days later, in  Whiteshield, ND, some 161.8 miles from the Murder Scene. 

Mary, her father and family were all in attendance from before Olive died, until after the funeral and there is no way Mary would have been a "witness" to the murder. 

Add to that the fact that she never met Richard LaFuente, much less "dated" him  and she had no clue as to who he was until after James and the others pointed him out in the six-pack line-up.

When James needed a "girlfriend" witness to testify against Richard LaFuente, he knew right where to go.  I am told that Mary did not want to go for a ride with Junior in his police car that afternoon.  She begged her daddy to not make her go.  Several hours, when she came back, disheveled and crying, she threw herself on her bed and sobbed for three days straight. 

Yes, indeedy!  The Preacher Man put his own daughter through this ugliness just to break her spirit and convince her to lie on the stand.  He can be so proud, I am sure!

Mary has done well for herself now also.  She works at the Tribal Police Station.  She has access to all the files.  The Yanktons have unfettered access to her.  I am told that Mary doesn't object anymore.  She really doesn't care about anything or anyone.  She knows it wouldn't do any good.  May as well stay where the bad guys need you, eh Mary?

Makes you wonder if the Preacher Man maybe was into things more scandalous than mere perjury, doesn't it? 

NOTE: Of the 11 men convicted, only *two ended up serving full sentences.  The rest were either overturned on appeal or their court dates for appeal were never set and they remained out of prison or were released early, pending appeal.  The reason for stalling the appeals on technicalities was that the Prosecutions case was coming unraveled faster than a cheap sweater.  Lynn Crooks ran the risk of having the entire case gain national attention  if the trials were to continue as the first two appeals had.  One of them revealed how Eddie Peltier's clothes had magically been changed to where he was wearing Quentin Yankton's blue jeans!  Not only were they several sizes too big for him, but Eddie never wore blue jeans.  He detested them.  He wore white painters' pants that night.  They have never been seen again.

* The two  men, Ricky LaFuente and John Perez are doomed to serve their entire sentences. They both refused several offers of being released for time served if they will just admit to guilt that isn't’t theirs. Both have been denied parole.

In October 2000:  John Perez has been released from prison having completed his full sentence of 16 years.

Both Perez and LaFuente had refused an earlier offer by the government, immediately following their conviction, of immediate release, identity change, funding for schooling---on the condition that they sign a paper saying the Government had done nothing wrong. Both men had refused the offer without hesitation. Refusing, regardless of consequences, to admit to a crime they know the government knows they did not commit. Clearly, the government has much to hide or such an extraordinary offer would never have been put forth.

Ricky, now called "Richard" La Fuente remains in prison and is denied parole every two years because he will not admit to a crime he did not commit.  He has served the majority of his time in a Texas prison. 

What Has Never Been Looked At

No one in law enforcement has ever questioned Celeste Herman about what went on in her house that night and in those early hours just before dawn.

The day after the murder her house was completely gutted and renovations began immediately.  Within two days they had almost completely gutted the interior.  From floor to ceiling, wall to wall, every door replaced, even the cement porch and steps on which one witness claims to have seen and touched a huge pool of blood, were jack hammered out and carted off.

In February, two FBI Agents, Falcone and Ryan, who had been brought in to assist, questioned James Yankton about some bloody carpeting. They had listened to several witnesses who had told them of the screaming and the noises that had come from the Yankton's sister's house early that morning when Eddie was murdered. To them, James Jr., his brothers Roger and Quentin and their sister Celeste Hermann were high on the list of "suspects".

They even dug in the frozen solid ground with hand shovels, but could only go down a few inches.  While they were digging,  James Jr., got on the telephone to his corrupt friends in the Justice Department and told them to "Get rid of these two (agents) NOW!"

James was not worried they would find the bloody carpet from his Blazer, he had already taken that out and burned it the same morning he had murdered Eddie.  But he was not happy with anyone getting too close to the truth. 

Ryan and Falcone were immediately transferred to another case in another state.

Even though James Yankton and O.J. Semans have since been dismissed from law enforcement for corruption and U.S. Attorney Dennis Fisher fired for misconduct  (Dennis liked to shop lift expensive knives.  His third conviction got him fired.)

Even though James Yankton admits to destroying evidence in the Peltier Murder Case...

*Eddie's nephew found Eddie's bloody medallion on the driveway of Celeste Hermann a few days after the murder.  The family dutifully handed this over to James Yankton who carefully placed it in a plastic bag.  There were also beer cans with blood on them along the driveway to Celeste Hermann's house.  These were also carefully handed over  by Eddie's father who  delivered the items to James Yankton to help with his investigation.  Yankton also carefully put these items into a plastic bag. None of these items were never to be seen again.

Even though his alibi and those of his brothers and their accomplices are known to be lies...

The Court isn’t interested in giving a new trial to LaFuente, Perez nor any of the others wrongfully charged and convicted

Eddie's Restless Spirit

It has been said that Quentin Yankton, who was actively involved in the murder of Eddie Peltier, wakes up in the night, screaming like a 13 yr. old girl because he sees Eddie standing over him.

Maybe it is true about the Restless Spirit.
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Also worth noting at this point, to further twist the fabric of law, James Yankton and Spencer Hellekson were presented with awards and commendations for their outstanding work on solving this case!  I guess murdering Eddie and framing the innocent was not enough of a trophy, they needed to "commend themselves" with "honors".  Awarding any form of law enforcement commendation to any one of the corrupt players in this case is an insult to every decent law enforcement officer that ever received an honor. 

Regardless of how much paint you put on a turd, it is what it is.

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