Teenager Gets 30 Years for Drug-Related Murder

Commit crime like an adult, get imprisoned like an adult.

That might as well have been the judge's message to Orrin Richard Alden III, age 17, from Crow Agency with a sentence of 29 years and seven months for charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in a crime of violence.

In late April, Alden and a group of young men were walking towards the Little Big Horn River, after spending some time drinking and smoking pot.  One of the others, identified as 18-year-old John Doe, carried a black backpack with a lot of cash, methamphetamine and marijuana inside.  Alden, John Doe and another man separated from the others.  After the first shot, Alden was seen holding a rifle, and Doe tried to retreat holding his side.  He said "You shot me, you shot me Tripp," referring to Alden's nickname.  A second shot fired.  After some minutes, Alden and the other man returned to the group, the latter holding the backpack and the rifle.

The group walked to Alden's house where he and the other man bagged up their clothing and stashed the bag and rifle in a nearby abandoned building.

The victim's body was found and retrieved on May 5th from the river.  An autopsy produced the two bullets fired.

Investigation and witness accounts led to Alden's arrest.  This past September, the teen pled guilty to the two charges.

“Far too many juveniles are resorting to deadly violence, which is as alarming as it is unacceptable. Alden took another young man’s life in a brutal and shocking way," U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said in a press release.  "We can’t get the victim’s life back, but we will move swiftly and aggressively against those like Alden who think violence is the answer to their problems.”

Fair warning to all the youngsters, Mr. Laslovich just gave.  Action films and video games are not the real world.

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