Wyoming Man convicted for murdering his disabled landlord

homesafetytechpros — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 21:07:31 +0000

The property Burdick Nelson Seminole rented from Michael Standing Elk (Google Maps).

A Wyoming man was found guilty of murdering his wheelchair-bound landlord after he tried to evict him from his rental property.

Burdick Nelson Seminole was convicted on all counts by a jury on Friday after being indicted for the first-degree murder of Michael Standing Elk. He was also found guilty of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and causing death with a firearm during a crime of violence. The verdict came after a four-day trial.

The confrontation between tenant and landlord occurred on Aug. 8, 2023 after Standing Elk evicted Seminole from the property he was renting on the Wind River Indian Reservation because, according to court filings from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Seminole was “using drugs and bringing young females to the residence to get them high.”

Once Seminole was gone, Standing Elk started renting the property to other people, but Seminole returned to confront his former landlord for “talking smack.” According to witnesses who spoke to police, Seminole reportedly entered Standing Elk’s property, where he was in bed asleep, and started slapping him in the head, telling him to “talk s— now.” As the argument between the two men heated up, Standing Elk’s partner called 911. Standing Elk was able to get out of bed and into his wheelchair, and the verbal fight continued in the living room.

But Standing Elk had a gun of his own. In his interview with police, Seminole said that he taunted Standing Elk, saying, “You better make sure it’s loaded,” and “Better make sure you got f—–‘ ammo.” He then “pistol-whipped” Standing Elk, then “turned around and heard a boom, but he didn’t know what hit him,” according to the affidavit.

After Standing Elk failed to fire at Seminole because his gun jammed, he reportedly said, “Okay, I’m done. You win, Burdick.” That was when witnesses testified that Seminole shot Standing Elk. Another tenant rushed into the room and fired a shot at Seminole, hitting him. Seminole told police that his “memory blacked out” during this period.

In his statement to police, Seminole said he went back to the house to confront Standing Elk for “talking smack,” claiming that “Standing Elk was threatening his daughter,” according to Cowboy State Daily.

Seminole was arrested at Wind River Family and Community Health Care clinic, where he drove himself after being shot by one of the tenants in the house. The affidavit said that was where police recovered “a black Springfield XDS gun from the front passenger seat of Seminole’s vehicle.” An agent at the scene reportedly overheard Seminole say, “I shouldn’t have picked up that gun.”

Seminole will be sentenced on Feb. 6. He faces a life sentence.

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Toddler disabled after choking on Candy Land Gummy Dot: Suit

homesafetytechpros — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 02:08:46 +0000

Amelie Parades Sotelo choked on a Candy Land Gummy Dot. (Photos from her family’s lawyer)

A toddler in California was left permanently disabled, unable to speak, swallow, or move, after choking on a Candy Land Gummy Dot, a sticky, gluelike mass that blocked her airway, a new lawsuit alleges.

Amelie Parades Sotelo choked on the pastel-colored, plug-shaped candy on Dec. 13, 2022, court documents said.

“These candies were a ticking time bomb. We will pursue justice for this innocent little girl who was once a vibrant and thriving child, but is now permanently disabled, unable to speak, unable to swallow, and unable to move, for the rest of her life,” said attorney Thomas Bosworth, who represents the girl and her family. “It is shocking that this level of brain damage is caused by just one single piece of this dangerous gel candy.”

The lawsuit accuses Frankford Candy & Chocolate Co., Inc., Frankford Candy LLC, and toy maker Hasbro, Inc. of product liability, failure to warn, negligence, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Representatives for the defendants did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Law&Crime.

The lawsuit filed in Philadelphia on Dec. 28 alleges the 3-year-old girl suffered irreversible brain damage and spastic quadriplegia after chewing on a single Frankford® Candy Land Gummy Dot that was “negligently, recklessly, and defectively designed.”

“The Frankford® Candy Land Gummy Dots product is attractively designed with colorful packaging and Candy Land (a popular children’s game) insignia, which the defendants, Frankford Candy & Chocolate Co., Inc., Frankford Candy LLC, and Hasbro, Inc., intentionally designed, advertised, and marketed for the purpose of attracting children of all ages to want to consume their Frankford® Candy Land Gummy Dots product,” court documents said.

The lawsuit alleges the product contains no safety or choking hazard warning.

It alleges they’re “unreasonably dangerous due to their extreme stickiness and inability to adequately breakdown from introduction of human saliva.”

On Dec. 13, 2022, a blue Gummy Dot lodged in her oropharynx, obstructing her airway. Her parents noticed her choking immediately and tried to help before taking her to the hospital. Once there, medical personnel tried to suction and remove the candy from her airway, but it was “extremely difficult due to the excessive stickiness of the product and its extraordinary lack of pliability,” court documents said.

She suffered profound hypoxia due to a prolonged lack of oxygen.

The lawsuit seeks more than $50,000 for a list of injuries, including spastic quadriplegia, permanent brain damage, neurogenic bladder disorder requiring daily catheterization, and neurogenic bowel requiring daily suppositories. It alleges manufacturing defect, failure to warn, breach of warranty and negligence.

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Wyoming Man convicted for murdering his disabled landlord

Toddler disabled after choking on Candy Land Gummy Dot: Suit