Poplar man appears on triple homicide

GREAT FALLS - A man accused of killing three people in Poplar on September 11 appeared yesterday, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The defendant, Michael J. Ackerman, a/k/a Michael J. Littlebull, 73, appeared on a complaint alleging he committed three counts of second-degree murder. Second degree murder carries maximum penalties of life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. Ackerman was detained pending further proceedings.

The affidavit in support of the complaint alleges an individual called the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office on September 14, 2025, to report Ackerman admitted killing three people in Poplar. Deputies interviewed Ackerman and he said on September 11 he was using methamphetamine with the three victims, believed they were "setting him up," and shot and killed them with his Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol. Ackerman told the deputies the bodies were in his residence in Poplar. Fort Peck Tribal law enforcement responded to the residence and found the three victims dead from apparent gunshot wounds.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley is prosecuting the case. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, the Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, and the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office.

The complaint is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

PACER case reference. 25-106.

The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit https://http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court's calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.