Lafromboise pleads guilty to assaulting infant, murder charge to be dropped

A Rock Boy man pleaded guilty this morning to assaulting an 11-month old child on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation Oct. 21, in a deal that includes dropping a murder charge stemming from the infant’s death.

Garrett “Kirby” Lafromboise, 21, pleaded guilty to sticking his fingers down the baby’s throat when he would not stop crying, and hitting the infant in abdomen.

Lafromboise and Cecilia Rose Gardipee were indicted Dec. 5 on charges of second degree murder or aiding and abetting in murder and assault resulting in bodily injury or aiding and abetting in assault.

The charges against Gardipee still are pending. Magistrate U.S. Judge Keith Strong Friday denied a motion to release Gardipee pending trial.

Without objection from Lafromboise, Assistant U.S. Attorney Danna Jackson said the state would not move to release Lafromboise pending sentencing, set for April 25.

While the federal government may not identify victims in a criminal case, using only the initials “K.S.” in the indictment and offer of proof, Kaidynce Small died on the reservation Oct. 21, less than two weeks before his first birthday.

Jackson said the state was prepared to prove that on Oct. 21, when Lafromboise became frustrated that the 11-month-old baby would not stop crying, he stuck his fingers down the infant’s throat to try to make it gag and stop, and then hit the baby in the abdomen.

Jackson said the baby died from injuries it sustained that day, including skull fractures, hemorrhages and bruising to the brain, hemorrhages to the child’s spinal cord, a broken nose, rib fractures, bruises and lacerations on the extremities and face and internal injuries.