Native American woman found guilty of killing two sons, claimed home was 'demonized'

A mother has been convicted of stabbing her son to death and then setting her house on fire, killing his younger sibling as he was trapped and the flames raged inside.

Jennifer Marie Stately, 37, was convicted for the deaths of her 6-year-old son Remi as well as his sibling, Tristan, who was only 5 years old, per the New York Post. She stabbed Remi in the chest before then using lighter fluid and gasoline to set her house ablaze at the Red Lake Nation, Minnesota.

The flames were also burning at the exits, which made it impossible for the 5-year-old escape. Stately claimed that the house was "demonized," her lawyer told reporters.

Police described the actions as "horrific and unthinkable.” The younger of the two siblings died from smoke inhalation. FBI special agent in charge Rick Evanchec said, "The FBI is honored to have partnered with federal, state and tribal law enforcement partners to bring justice to these young victims who had no chance at survival while in the care of the one person who should have kept them safe."

In an obituary from the family, they said that Tristan was an "outgoing, spirited little boy." Stately left him to die in the home, but escaped with her 3-year-old son, Ethan. The 3-year-old had sores and scabs covering his feet making it not possible for him to stand up, Law and Crime reported.

The Red Lake Tribal Police Department had issued an AMBER Alert after the incident took place. Stately was later seen 150 miles from her home. She initially faced charges of child neglect, malicious punishment, torture as well as assault. Those were later dropped in April 2024 because the Red Lake Reservation is outside the state court jurisdiction. 

Stately's lawyers attempted to present insanity as a defense, but the argument was rejected by the jury during her trial. The jury found her to be guilty of five first-degree murder charges and one count of arson.

Drew Evans, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension superintendent, said, “We all witnessed the devastating aftermath of Jennifer Stately’s horrific and unthinkable actions that night."

“We hope that holding her accountable for her crimes will provide some sense of justice for the family and the entire Red Lake community who are forever impacted by the loss of these two young boys.”