A 22-year-old woman has become the third person to plead guilty this week to the "drunk fight" that left William Ivan Redhorn Jr. dying outside the Ho-Chunk headquarters in Winnebago.
Lawrencia Merrick pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Omaha.
Two friends, Jeremiah Wolfe and his mother Natasha Wolfe, pleaded guilty earlier in the week. Merrick and Jeremiah Wolfe acknowledged that they beat or strangled Redhorn. They pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Natasha Wolfe said she egged Merrick on, and she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree murder.
The charges each carry a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to court documents and police records, the three told officials that they beat the 32-year-old Redhorn Jr. because they thought that he was drunk and trying to break into the Ho-Chunk offices.
Ho-Chunk is an economic development corporation owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. The Wolfes and Redhorn are members of the Winnebago Tribe. Merrick is a member of the Omaha Tribe.
The assault occurred in the pre-dawn hours of April 23, 2017. They left Redhorn unconscious and Merrick told authorities she thought Redhorn would wake up and "walk it off."
Natasha Wolfe’s sentencing is scheduled for July 20. Jeremiah Wolfe’s is scheduled for Aug. 10, and Merrick’s for Aug. 24.
