Man sentenced to life in prison for cold case murder in Indian Country
SWAIN COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) – A man and member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) was sentenced to life in prison for the 2013 murder of his wife, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
On December 29, 2013, the body of Marie Walkingstick Pheasant was discovered inside a burned-out car parked near Big Cove Road within the Qualla Boundary in the Western District of North Carolina. Investigators said that the car was intentionally set on fire. An autopsy revealed that Marie died from stab wounds to the neck and abdomen. DNA evidence linked 47-year-old Ernest D. Pheasant, the victim's estranged husband, to the scene.
On April 7, 2022, the investigation was reopened as part of a review of unsolved homicides in the region. During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Pheasant killed Marie at their home, then transferred her body to the car, drove it to Big Cove Road, and set it on fire.
Pheasant pleaded guilty to first degree premeditated murder.
'For over a decade, Marie's family has endured the pain of losing their loved one without justice.Today, that changed,' said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. 'Ernest Pheasant will pay for his heinouscrime by spending the rest of his life behind bars. While nothing can undo the family's loss, Ihope this sentence brings them a measure of justice.'
The reopening of this cold case is part of 'Operation Not Forgotten,' a nationwide investigation into unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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