Mother sentenced to life for killing two sons in Red Lake fire
Jennifer Stately, 37, received a life sentence on November 6 for the 2024 murders of her young children and the arson of their home.
By Michael Bennett ·
Jennifer Stately, 37, received a life sentence in prison on Friday, November 6, for the 2024 killing of her two young sons. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim handed down the verdict following a federal trial that concluded in February.
The sentence covers five counts of first-degree murder and one count of arson. A federal jury convicted Stately on February 25 after a two-and-a-half-week trial. She was initially charged in May 2024.
Court evidence established that Stately killed her children on March 15, 2024, at their home on the Red Lake Nation. Prosecutors presented evidence that she assaulted the boys and stabbed her older son. She then used gasoline and lighter fluid to start three separate fires, including at both exit points of the residence.
The older boy died from sharp force injuries. The younger boy was trapped inside and died of carbon monoxide poisoning. ATF investigators determined that Stately deliberately set the fires to obscure the scene.
Stately fled the burning home and remained missing for several hours. The Red Lake Tribal Police Department issued an AMBER Alert. Less than an hour after the alert, a motorist spotted her in Todd County, approximately 150 miles south of her home. Police from the Minnesota State Patrol, Todd County Sheriff’s Department, and Long Prairie Police Department apprehended her and booked her in the Todd County Jail.
Kendall Kingbird Sr., Director of the Red Lake Department of Public Safety, stated that the actions represented a violation of the trust associated with parenthood. He noted that no punishment equals the lives lost, but the sentence reflects the gravity of the crime. ATF Special Agent in Charge Joseph Persails added that while one child might have survived the initial injuries, the fire sealed his fate.
The Red Lake Department of Public Safety thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, and local police for their role in the case. The agency said the memory of the two young community members will remain in the thoughts and prayers of the Red Lake Nation.
