St. Michael Man Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse in Death of One-Year-Old

Fargo – United States Attorney Mac Schneider announced that Collin Ray Delorme, also known as Collin Ray Delorme Sr., age 29, from St. Michael, North Dakota, appeared in federal court on October 9, 2024, in Fargo and pleaded guilty before District Court Judge Peter Welte to three counts of Child Abuse in Indian country.

As noted in court documents, on February 18, 2023, Delorme’s co-defendant Kenzie Rose Baker called 911 from a home in St. Michael on the Spirit Lake Reservation and reported a one-year-old child was not breathing. The child was transported to CHI St. Alexius in Devils Lake, North Dakota and was pronounced dead.

An autopsy concluded the cause of death was “battered child” due to multiple, repeated injuries of various ages, evident upon external and internal examination. The child’s internal injuries were untreated, given rise to infection and sepsis.

Baker admitted she observed swelling present for two weeks but failed to seek medical care. After the child’s death, Delorme claimed an external injury to the child’s back, which was above a spinal fracture, occurred when he misjudged a step and his boot slipped and a flashlight hit the child.

Two of the charges that Delorme pleaded guilty to are related to his abuse and the resulting death of the one-year-old child.  The third charge is the result of Delorme’s abuse of a second child, who was three years old, by hitting the child on the arms and throwing him on the bed.

Delorme is scheduled for sentencing on February 18, 2025, and faces a maximum sentence of forty years in prison.

On August 16, 2024, Baker pled guilty to charges of Accessory after the Fact; Child Abuse in Indian country; Child Neglect in Indian country. Baker is scheduled to be sentenced on January 22, 2025.

Baker and Delorme are detained pending sentencing.

“Today’s guilty plea is a step towards accountability for the heartrending death of a young child,” Schneider said. “The way this toddler was treated was horrific and shameful. Whether it is at multi-disciplinary team meetings throughout the District of North Dakota or by holding child abusers accountable in federal court, our career prosecutors and partners in law enforcement are committed to protecting kids and preventing tragic cases like this one.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lori H. Conroy and SheraLynn Ternes.

Previous Press release for co-defendant Kenzie Rose Baker can be seen HERE:

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