Former BIA Officer Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing Minor and Lying to Investigators

Overview

• Murrell Deela pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually abusing a minor and to lying to federal agents in a case tied to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana.
• Records say that on Aug. 7, 2024, he was on duty as a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer, put the teen in his patrol car, and drove to another location where he assaulted her.
• Prosecutors said he seized a 14-year-old at a gas station, used a takedown move when she tried to run, and assaulted her in a dark park before taking her to her grandmother’s home.
• Investigators said he later reported his patrol vehicle had burned to wipe out video, and ATF determined it was arson as the FBI also found he filed a false report and lied about where he drove the teen.
• The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are prosecuting the case, sentencing has not been scheduled, and the top charge carries up to life in prison with a separate count for false statements carrying up to eight years.