William Veseth, 39, was shot and killed at his Main Street restaurant, Bill’s Pizza Palace, in the predawn hours of October 4, 1973, after closing a little after 1 a.m. Three young men who had come looking for beer confronted him inside the business; a struggle turned into an armed robbery and Veseth died at the scene.

Investigators arrested three men with Assiniboine–Sioux heritage in connection with the robbery-homicide: 19-year-old James Allen Red Dog, 24-year-old Steven Wayne Lilly and 24-year-old Ralph James Clancy. Court records show divergent outcomes: Clancy pleaded guilty to robbery and drew a six-year sentence; Red Dog was convicted of robbery and involuntary manslaughter but the judge set aside manslaughter and imposed a 15-year robbery term; Lilly was convicted of first-degree murder, had that conviction reversed on appeal, and was acquitted at a retrial after testimony shifted, including admissions that Red Dog took responsibility for the fatal shot.

Did anyone in Wolf Point or surrounding communities at the time witness those early-morning moments at Bill’s Pizza Palace or remember details about the three men involved?