Red Lake man sentenced to 12 years for beating his cousin to death

MINNEAPOLIS – A 38-year-old Red Lake man was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison Tuesday for the brutal murder of his own cousin.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says in the fall of 2020, Ralph Edward Cloud Jr. beat Allen Smith to death inside a residence on the Red Lake Indian Reservation with "a medal cabinet and its drawers" because he was "concerned about a relationship between his wife and Smith."

Cloud pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder in July. He will also have three years of supervised release after completing his sentence.