Stilwell Resident Pleads Guilty To Involuntary Manslaughter

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Robert Bird, age 70, of Stilwell, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to a one-count Information of Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country, punishable by up to eight years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.

The Information alleged that on January 21, 2025, Bird unlawfully killed a person in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death when committed in an unlawful manner, without due caution and circumspection.  As part of the plea agreement, Bird admitted the government could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he discharged a firearm without due caution and circumspection, killing the victim.

The crime occurred in Adair County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charge arose from an investigation by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Stilwell Police Department, and the Adair County Sheriff’s Office.

The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. District Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Bird will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael E. Robinson and Jonathan E. Soverly represented the United States.