St. Michael man convicted of second-degree murder and arson
Nov. 13—GRAND FORKS — A federal jury found a St. Michael man guilty of second-degree murder and arson.
Cody James Belgarde, 36, shot and killed a 17-year-old boy in January 2021, then set fire to the house where the crime occurred, according to a news release from the District of North Dakota United States Attorney's Office.
Belgarde's trial, which lasted eight days, included more than 30 witnesses.
The jury found Belgarde guilty of second-degree murder and arson, but found him not guilty of first-degree murder. He faces up to life imprisonment and will be sentenced at 2:30 p.m. March 6.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
"This verdict is a credit to our career prosecutors and law enforcement partners at the FBI, BIA, and ATF who relentlessly pursued justice in this tragic case," U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider said in the release.
