Man Says He Has No Recollection of Stabbing, Murdering Victim at Tribal Casino

Rigoberto Mendez Morales is now facing charges of second-degree murder in North Dakota after he was arrested last month for allegedly killing a woman in a hotel room at a popular tribal casino destination in the state.

Suspected Perpetrator Says He Has No Recollection of Events

The heinous act took place in a hotel room at the Sky Dancer Casino & Resort in Belcourt, where the perpetrator allegedly stabbed a woman to death. Morales has pleaded not guilty to the allegations and insisted that he had no recollection of the events. 

When he was brought into custody, Morales insisted that he couldn’t remember any of the events that led to him sitting on a bloodied bed next to the victim. An official affidavit detailed his behavior: 

“Mendez Morales stated he consumed three alcoholic drinks while gambling. Mendez Morales did not recall returning to his room. Mendez Morales could not recall why he had blood on his pants, shirt, and multi-tool, and denied touching BTM [the initials of the victim] when he saw she was on the floor and covered in blood. Mendez Morales stated he woke up on his bed and saw BTM was not moving.” 

Morales does not speak English, so he had to have an interpreter translate for him in the North Dakota US District Court. His hearing was held via a Zoom conference call, with Morales remaining confined to the Ward County Jail. 

Morales is now going to face a jury trial, and he has been denied bail, with the case against him set to launch on April 14. The circumstances surrounding the Morales case are not in his favor presently. 

He was apprehended at the scene of the crime, sitting on the bed of the hotel room where the victim, identified only by her initials as BTM, was found lying dead.

Caught “Red-Handed” at the Scene 

Police had responded at 6:07 am after receiving a 911 call about a dead person at the property’s hotel on January 10, 2026. Morales himself was sitting bloodied on the bed, with his right eye also suffering an injury and bleeding at the time of discovery.

Morales was also found in possession of a multi-tool that was also covered in what appeared to be blood. The FBI and police were able to establish that the tool had hair and blood that were consistent with that of the victim, serving as the grounds of the charge filed against Morales. 

Morales is facing prosecution under the Major Crimes Act.