Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Nicholas Poitra looked right at the camera on his way into the courtroom prior to his initial appearance on March 9.
Nicholas Poitra, the man accused of murdering 30-year-old Troyal Thumb at Rindy's Bar in Sheyenne, is scheduled to be at the Eddy County Courthouse for his preliminary hearing on April 13.
Poitra allegedly shot and killed Troyal Thumb of Sheyenne with a short-barreled shotgun on Feb. 19, before breaking into more than one area farmstead as he led law enforcement on a 65-hour-long manhunt in the days that followed.
After being taken into custody with the help of a local farmer and his fiancé, Poitra appeared for an initial appearance at the Eddy County Courthouse on Thursday, March 9, where he heard the charges against him and the penalties those charges carry.
Poitra is charged with intentional murder, a Class AA felony; armed robbery, a Class B felony; unlawful possession of a firearm, a Class C felony; and seven counts of terrorizing – a Class C felony for each of the bar patrons he allegedly held at gunpoint.
Poitra's next court appearance is a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday, April 13 at 11 a.m. in the Eddy County Courthouse.
At the hearing, which is open to the public, the prosecution must prove to District Court Judge John Hovey that there is probable cause that each felony was committed and that the defendant, Nicholas Poitra, is the one that committed them.
If the prosecution cannot prove probable cause for an alleged felony, the judge will have that charge dismissed. If any or all of the charges stand, an arraignment would then take place, at which point Poitra would enter a plea of guilty or not guilty to each charge.
Any not guilty pleas would set the stage for an eventual trial.
The Transcript will provide an update on the case following Poitra's preliminary hearing, or if the hearing gets rescheduled.
In the State of North Dakota, the maximum penalty for Class AA felony murder is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The maximum penalty for a Class B felony is 10 years' imprisonment and/or a fine of $20,000, and each Class C felony carries a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment, a fine of $10,000, or both.
