I Am a Killer: Everything to know about Makueeyapee Whitford in series 5 of the true crime docuseries

MAKUEEYAPEE Whitford is 1 of the criminals featured successful the deed Netflix bid I americium a Killer. 

He appears successful occurrence six of the show’s 5th series, which dives into his sidesplitting of a fellow Native American antheral whom helium had a quality with. 

Reportedly, the 2 men were arguing astir their tribes erstwhile the brushwood became violent.

Here’s everything you request to cognize astir Makueeyapee’s case.

A “rollercoaster” childhood

Makueeyapee was calved connected November 13, 1980, and was brought backmost to the Blackfeet Indian preservation successful a cardboard box, since his parents couldn’t spend a car seat. 

His gramps was Chief Running Crane, the past main of Blackfeet Indian Nation, and his begetter was besides Native American. 

His mother, who was not Native American, went connected to person 7 children with antithetic fathers and moved often. 

Makueeyapee lived successful Montana, Idaho, Washington, California and Oregon during his childhood, which helium described arsenic a “rollercoaster”.

He witnessed his stepfather hitting his parent erstwhile helium was a child, prompting him to determination successful with his uncles. 

It was astatine this clip that helium was swept up successful the pack unit of Tacoma, Washington and started drinking and taking drugs. 

He went to situation aft being charged with robbery successful the archetypal grade and 3 charges of battle successful the 2nd degree, arsenic good arsenic a complaint of deadly limb enhancement for a edifice robbery. 

Makueeyapee pointed a weapon astatine an aged woman during the brushwood and thought to himself “I’m not going to bash this”, but it was already excessively late. 

Getting his beingness together

He was sentenced, successful 1988, to 10 years and decided to usage his clip to study. 

In prison, helium joined Indians of All Tribes, a radical which advocated for “Native Pride”. 

Within 2 months of leaving prison, helium met the parent of his aboriginal children.

After knowing each different for conscionable a month, the mates were expecting their archetypal child. 

Then, aft Makueeyapee’s lad was born, his spouse became large with his 2nd kid - a daughter. 

He became a 4.0 GPA pupil astatine Blackfeet Community College and made the dean's database astatine the school. 

A gag gone wrong

Makueeyapee went to Polson, Montana, with his person and they some recovered their mode to a location enactment hosted by the Flathead Indian Reservation. 

Once astatine the party, helium made a gag that sparked a life-altering bid of events. 

Makueeyapee said “Where are each the Blackfeet at?” which angered different partygoer, since the lawsuit was being hosted by the Flathead tribe.

Unbeknownst to Makueeyapee, the partygoer was besides aggravated due to the fact that of a rivalry with the Blackfeet people that was centuries old. 

When the different partygoer became aggressive, Makueeyapee’s memories of situation came flooding back. 

John Pierre Jr went implicit to Makueeyapee and started referencing the historical rivalry, Makueeyapee stabbed and killed him.

Return to prison

Makueeyapee received a 60-year condemnation for his crime, with a 25-year-parole restriction.

John Todd, 1 of the jailhouse commanders for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office successful Polson, Montana said that Makueeyapee picked fights successful prison. 

John said: “He was, I’d person to say, benignant of a bully. 

“He would poke astatine the smaller, weaker guys and conscionable poke and poke and poke until they exploded. 

“And past helium would wounded them, oregon effort to wounded them. 

“And past it was ne'er his fault.”

Makueeyapee maintains that helium was the unfortunate of a hatred transgression and that helium killed John successful self-defense.