POPLAR, Montana — Just a couple days before Thanksgiving, in a remote part of the vast Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Annie Lee Kirn drove with her elderly “friend” to his residence. They were followed by a car with five people inside.
Surveillance video from the home later showed an elderly man entering the home, while Kirn visited with two men outside. One of the men was armed.
“They discussed her relationship with the homeowner. Kirn offered to share a joint with the man armed with the rifle. They whispered about cash, and talked about the location of a safe,” according to court documents. “While they were outside, the man fired seven rounds from the rifle, primarily into the air.”
That’s when, on Nov. 21, 2023, prosecutors say "a night of terrible life decisions” really began. It ended with the arrest of a tragic career criminal and an accusation of a racially charged threat. The only positive takeaway from the whole affair, according to authorities, is that no one died.
The case came to a head Wednesday, when Marion Wallace Runs Through Jr., 33, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court of Montana to a little more than seven years in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and use during a crime of violence.
At one point during the crime, an accomplice urged Runs Through to, “Kill the white guy.”
No Childhood
Runs Through Jr. grew up in Poplar on the Fort Peck Reservation, but later “described not having a childhood, instead growing up in the institution, going in and out of juvenile detention,” according to court documents.
His father, Marion Sr., expressed frustration that, “All the kids up here on the reservation are in some type of gang.” The extensive court record charting Runs Through Jr.’s path goes on to report, “He had negative peer influences. Marion admitted to becoming a gang member at 13 years old.”
After Runs Through’s brother passed away, he drifted away from the gang, but continued to rack up a lengthy criminal record, “comprising 42 separate incidents going back years.”
These criminal offenses include “countless assaults,” according to court documents, domestic abuse, reckless driving, attempted sexual abuse and burglary.
“The defendant did not graduate from high school and has never successfully worked in the community,” continued prosecutors in a sentencing memorandum.
Court records show that in 2015, while riding in the back of a vehicle, Runs Through Jr. slashed a man in the front seat. The man nearly bled to death and was left with scars on his face and neck.
“I shouldn’t drink,” is how Runs Through Jr. later explained himself to authorities.
On the night of Nov. 21, 2023, court records show Runs Through Jr. “was highly intoxicated.”
Botched Home Invasion
After firing one round into the ground and seven into the air, Runs Through Jr. and another man, Jesse Sutherland, charged into the home and assaulted the elderly homeowner, hitting him with the rifle.
The court file and a limited statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana do not reveal any details about whether there was a safe in the home, and it’s unclear whether or not Runs Through Jr. got away with any money.
But in court documents charging Kirn, the incident is described as an attempted robbery.
Apparently, in the heat of the moment, Sutherland and Runs Through Jr. became impatient. A witness later stated to authorities that Sutherland told Runs Through Jr. to, “‘Kill the white guy! Shoot him! Shoot him!’”
“Runs Through then pointed the rifle at the witness, but did not pull the trigger. The witness thought he was a goner,” according to court documents.
Prosecutors concluded that “solitary moment of restraint and good decision making… is the only thing that kept this crime from potentially becoming a first-degree murder.”
“This home invasion and assault could have been far worse than it was.”
Cops Swoop In
Runs Through Jr. was arrested the next day at his parents’ house, where law enforcement found an assault rifle. The weapon was handed off to ATF agents who conducted tests to determine the weapon was “highly likely” the same one that discharged shell casings found at the scene of the crime.
The victim also identified Runs Through Jr. by his "noticeable face tattoos," stated prosecutors.
Along with prison time, Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris also ordered five years of supervised release following imprisonment.
“Runs Through had previously pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and use of a firearm during a crime of violence stemming from a November 2023 incident,” according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for Montana.
The victim of the home invasion has requested $800 in restitution, while Kirn and Sutherland still face charges.
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
