BILLINGS — Bail was set at $500,000 on Wednesday in Yellowstone County District Court for Violet Jeanine Littlelight, who is charged with deliberate homicide for the stabbing death of Keith Breckenridge.
Family and friends mourn victim of stabbing:
Littlelight, 23 years old, pleaded not guilty to felony charges of deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence in the May 16 murder of 51-year-old Breckenridge, whose body was found in a Billings South Side alley.
Yellowstone County Deputy Hallie Bishop noted Littlelight has no apparent felony or misdemeanor criminal history, but she is alleged to have concocted the plan to rob Breckenridge and was present when her acquaintance stabbed him to death. She also allegedly fled the scene after the stabbing, Bishop said.
Judge David Carter agreed with the seriousness of the aggravating circumstances, and he also ordered she have no contact with her unnamed co-defendants or the victim's family and wear GPS monitoring.
According to charging documents, Littlelight told police that Breckenridge, a longtime acquaintance, had contacted her and asked her "to spend the night" in exchange for money.
Littlelight was drinking with two other people at the time, and the three decided to rob him and steal his truck, according to charging documents.
After vouching for her two companions, Littlelight told police they all got in Breckenridge's truck, and one of them began beating him and stabbing him in the neck, according to charging documents.
After the three dumped the body, they allegedly fled to the Crow reservation, where a witness said he saw them burning and disposing of evidence and cleaning the blood out of Breckenridge's truck.
No other people have been charged at this point, but police are continuing to investigate. Littlelight is in Yellowstone County jail.
