Featured photo: Devin Belcourt, 32, of Bagley. Photo courtesy of the Hubbard County Jail.
Three were arraigned in Beltrami County today on the burglary, homicide and arson from early Sunday morning.
In amended complaints filed today, Travis Gunning, 37, is charged with aiding and abetting second degree murder and burglary in the first degree. Rebecca Lockman, 30, is charged with aiding an offender-accomplice after the fact to second degree murder.
The third suspect, Devin Belcourt, 32, was charged with second degree intentional murder, arson in the first degree and first degree burglary.
Unconditional bail was set at $300,000 for Lockman, and $2 million each for Gunning and Belcourt.
Assistant attorney David Frank, during Belcourt’s arraignment, described the “facts surrounding this case” to be “chilling, to say the least.”
According to the identical complaints filed today, deputies arrived at the 11,000 block of Trengove Road, about five miles southwest of Wilton and eight miles east of Bemidji, around 12:34 a.m. on Sunday, May 3, on response of a residential fire and gunfire.
When they arrived, they found a man who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, “B.M.” B.M. told investigators that he had exchanged gunfire with two people in a dark car, and that his roommate, “J.M.” was unaccounted for.
Investigators found the remains of a man matching J.M.’s description inside the burning house with a bullet wound to the head. They also found a cell phone, which they traced to Gunning’s address in Gully.
Over the investigation, Gunning and Lockman were arrested in Minot, North Dakota by law enforcement there. One witness stated Lockman attempted to clean up blood from a gunshot wound Gunning suffered from during the exchange with “B.M.”
Travis Gunning, 37, left, and Rebecca Lockman, 30, right. Photo courtesy of the Ward County Jail (ND).
Gunning told investigators that he and Belcourt planned the burglary of “J.M.’s” residence to steal a large sum of money and drugs believed to be in a safe. Gunning said he briefly exited the house during the robbery and heard a gunshot, and when he returned, he saw Belcourt shoot J.M. in the back of the head. Gunning then stated that he and Belcourt decided to burn down the home to conceal the murder.
Gunning and Belcourt then reportedly fled the residence with the safe, the stolen gun and the drugs. As they were placing the stolen property into an SUV they encountered B.M. and exchanged gunfire. Lockman then drove them away, traveling north on Northwoods Road. Gunning said Lockman stopped on Northwoods Road and that Belcourt fled the vehicle.
Gunning told law enforcement where he and Lockman hid the stolen merchandise before they fled to North Dakota. Deputies and agents with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found the stolen property in the location described by Gunning.
According to the amended complaint, while deputies were making arrangements to transport Gunning and Lockman from Minot back to Bemidji, multiple law enforcement officials participated in a search for Belcourt. On May 5, Belcourt was located at a residence in Naytawash.
All three will next appear Monday before Judge John Melbye.
