Christopher Alan Vickerman, 31, was found guilty by a jury on Dec. 6 of the May 10, 2019 Class AA felony murder of his father, Mark Vickerman, 55. There had been a strained relationship between father and son and there were reports that Christopher Vickerman had exhibited signs of mental illness in the period leading up to the murder. No sentencing date has yet been scheduled for Christopher Vickerman.

Other drawn-out cases are scheduled to be tried in the new year.

Bradley Joe Morales, 31, is currently scheduled to be re-tried on Feb. 1, 2022 in district court in Minot for the August 2017 slaying of his ex-girlfriend. Morales had previously been tried and convicted of the murder but appealed to the state supreme court and won the right to a new trial. Morales will be representing himself at the trial after disagreeing with several of his public defenders over what direction the defense should take.

Travis Eugene Yoney, 48, appealed his attempted murder conviction to the state supreme court and won the right to a re-trial, which is scheduled to take place on Jan. 11, 2022 before Judge Gary Lee. He is accused of trying to kill a confidential informant who had informed on him to the Ward County Narcotics Task Force. The incident happened on Aug. 23, 2018. Yoney blamed the other man for his conviction in 2017 of Class B felony delivery of marijuana and allegedly went to the other man’s residence, shot into the wall next to the door, kicked in the door and pointed a gun at the confidential informant. The confidential informant tackled Yoney and subdued him and a second shot went off during the struggle and lodged in the ceiling of the residence, according to court documents. Yoney was convicted at trial in 2019 of “knowing attempted murder,” which the supreme court has decided is not allowed under state law because an attempted murder conviction requires proof that a defendant actually intended to cause the death of another person. Yoney argues that he did not have intent to kill the alleged victim in the case.

Morales, Bradley Joe

Next on Judge Lee’s trial calendar is the murder trial of Erik Steven Rod, 43, who is scheduled to go to trial on Jan. 18, 2022 in district court for the May 21, 2020 shooting death of his wife, Connie Rod, 37. Erik Rod has claimed it was an accidental shooting.

Other cases are still pending, including that of Shawnee Lynn Krall, 29, who is accused of raping and killing his roommate on Dec. 20, 2020 in Minot. No trial date has been scheduled for Krall. There is also no jury trial set yet for Mark Anthony Rodgers Jr., 33, who is charged with murder in the overdose death of a 16-year-old girl in a Minot hotel room on Dec. 14, 2020. Rodgers has been accused of having sex with the girl before her death and of injecting her with a “hot shot” mixture of methamphetamine and fentanyl. The prosecution has argued that the girl’s overdose was not accidental.

Eric Clayton Venn, 41, was charged with the July murder in Minot of his 29-year-old girlfriend, Arnalyn Repalam. That charge is also still pending and no trial date has been scheduled.

Rod, Erik Steven

Rodgers Jr., Mark Anthony

Venn, Eric Clayton

Vickerman, Christopher

Yoney, Travis Eugene