Wolf Point man sentenced to over 10 years for beating a man to death

GREAT FALLS - A Wolf Point man who was part of group that beat a man to death was sentenced today to 10 years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Calvin Florin Lester, 37, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to voluntary manslaughter.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Lester was part of group that beat a man to death in an abandoned house on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

The victim was found dead on Feb. 26, 2025, on the second floor of a house in Wolf Point, described by area residents as a local "flop house" where people occasionally went to drink and sleep. Investigators found that Lester and others after a night of drinking had gone in the house in the early morning hours of Feb. 26. They found the victim asleep on the second floor. With Lester were Abrianne Lillian Deserly, 26, and Dillon Demery Wetsit, 41.

An argument broke out and Lester, along with Deserly and Wetsit, began to hit the victim, beating him severely. At one point, the victim was placed in a chokehold while other members of the group hit him. A medical examination showed the victim died from "homicidal violence" with neck compression and blunt injuries to the head.

Deserly pleaded guilty in May to voluntary manslaughter; she will be sentenced on Sept. 14. Wetsit pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in June; he will be sentenced on Oct. 15.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation and FBI conducted the investigation.