Dallas Wayne Thundershield, 36, of Fort Totten, North Dakota, was found guilty on October 26, 2016, of second-degree murder after a brutal, premeditated attack that left Richard Demarce dead and Elvis Demarce fighting for his life. The six-day federal trial in Fargo laid bare a night of terror that began with a simple ride request and ended in bloodshed on the side of BIA-6.
The violence erupted on April 9, 2016, when Thundershield and Priscilla Bear accepted a ride from Elvis and Richard Demarce in exchange for gas money. What started as a routine drive across the Spirit Lake Reservation turned deadly when Thundershield, seated behind Bear in the pickup, began poking her with a knife and striking her. Ordered to pull over by Elvis, Thundershield didn’t stop—he escalated. As Elvis exited the vehicle, Thundershield followed, launching a frenzied knife attack.
Elvis Demarce was stabbed multiple times and left bleeding in a roadside ditch. Richard Demarce stepped in to defend his brother, only to be beaten before Thundershield fled the scene with Bear. Minutes later, Thundershield reversed course, returning with clear intent: to finish the job. He charged at Richard, driving a knife into his chest with such force it pierced his heart—killing him instantly.
Thundershield then stole Elvis Demarce’s pickup and drove to a residence near Hamar, ND, where he’d been staying. In the early hours of April 10, he turned his rage on Priscilla Bear, assaulting her so severely she suffered substantial bodily injury. When police arrived at the home following a call, they found Bear injured and Thundershield waiting—calm, but cornered. He was arrested without resistance.
The case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janice Morley and Matthew Greenley, was built on eyewitness testimony, forensic evidence, and the defendant’s own movements before and after the killings. Investigators from the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs-Fort Totten, and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation worked tirelessly to piece together the chain of violence that sealed Thundershield’s fate.
U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson has set sentencing for January 24, 2017, at 1:30 PM in U.S. District Court, Fargo. Thundershield faces life-altering consequences after being convicted on all four counts: second-degree murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in substantial bodily injury. The Spirit Lake community, long plagued by violent crime, now awaits justice.
RELATED: Dallas Thundershield Guilty in Spirit Lake Double Assault, Murder
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Key Facts
- State: North Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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