Kevin Thomas McCormick, 53, of Breezy Point, Minnesota was convicted Friday of second-degree manslaughter in the death of Jerry Benedict, 64, after he pushed Benedict from a tree stand during a dispute. On November 6 law enforcement responded to a call of a trespasser on property located near southern Clearwater County and the White Earth Indian Reservation. However, when officers got to the scene they didn’t find anyone. Early November 7, Benedict called 9-1-1 requesting an ambulance for back injuries. He was then taken to the Mahnomen Health Center and later airlifted to Fargo, N.D because of the severity of injuries. Benedict told police while in the hospital, that McCormick pushed him out of the deer stand over the dispute of the placement of his deer stand. He said McCormick believed he was on his land in Clearwater County but then told McCormick he was in the White Earth Indian Reservation and had a right to hunt there. Benedict fell about 16 feet to the ground, in which he suffered several broken vertebrae, internal abdominal bleeding and blood in his lungs. November 24, Benedict died at the Fargo hospital from the internal injuries. McCormick’s sentence on the charge is scheduled for April 11. His expected sentence is a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
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