Autopsy Determines Badly Beaten Round Valley Man Also Shot
20-year-old Nicholas Whipple who was found dead early Wednesday morning. [Photograph provided by Round Valley Tribe Vice President Lewis Whipple]
According to an interview with Mendocino County yesterday by Sarah Reith, Sheriff Matthew Kendall said the murder victim was beaten so badly he could not at that time confirm if he had also been shot.
At an emotional meeting yesterday in Covelo, community members called out drugs and alcohol, a reluctance to report crimes to law enforcement, and law enforcement itself, for the many unsolved crimes on the reservation. One woman online blamed the unwillingness of people to turn in family members and friends saying, “Sometimes it’s because you know who’s involved so you’re willing to look the other way.”
Below is the information released by MCSO:
UPDATED PRESS RELEASE (03-31-2023):
On 03-30-2023 a forensic autopsy determined Nicholas Shehli Whipple had a gunshot wound to his torso and his death is currently being investigated as a homicide.
Further investigations are currently ongoing and no additional information is currently available for public release.
Anyone with information that can assist Sheriff’s Detectives with this homicide investigation are urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office Tip-Line by calling 707-234-2100 or the WeTip Anonymous Crime Reporting Hotline by calling 800-782-7463.
Earlier:
- MCSO Investigating Gunshot Death of 20-Year-Old Male in Covelo
- Victim Identified in Yesterday’s Homicide in Covelo
- Round Valley Weeps: Emotional Standing Room Only Meeting After Recent Murder in Covelo
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How sad.
It’s time for the people of the Covelo area to start cooperating with law enforcement, as opposed to treating LEO’s as the enemy…You can’t have it both ways or you wind up in the position you’re in now.
Sure they should just forget the genocide done to them by rangers and policemen and just trust them with everything now. I would be cautious and I think you would be also….
Please spare me the anti-law enforcement rhetoric…They’re beyond cautious which limits solutions.
It’s not rhetoric. It’s what really happened and why your instructions might be failing. I knew a CHP officer who was constantly called to Covelo in the 80’s and it sucked for him too. I’m not anti-law enforcement but to ignore the lasting social effect of violence under the color of law is not helpful. Bloody Run Creek was named after just one massacre. There were many- men, women and children. I’m white and I barely trust the white man myself! Terrible stuff was done and it s remembered- that is history not rhetoric. You’re asking them to blindly trust law enforcement? Good luck!
I pity you with such a negative attitude…Look to the future…
If you all would just listen to the average wite guy, everything would work out just fine. I mean, look at the historical examples of average whites extending a helping hand to those who appeared to be “less fortunate” than the white “majority” but held “more land” throughout history. We whites have definitely been the most helpful….
Definitely.
For sure.
No arguments there.
That didn’t happen to THEM reservations are nasty drug filled tweak zones nowadays
As was mentioned at the time of the sheriff’s meeting, people don’t want to talk in large part because very often the perps are their loved ones, as well as the victims. Everyone’s a cuzzin. Makes it hard to drop the dime and watch them go to jail for years, and it won’t bring back the dead. A tragic situation.
Agreed. Yes horrible bs. Terrible actions have occured. Yet, here we are today. We exist because of our past. To rage because of what occured that we cannot change nor erase helps or changes nothing. To incite hate or to kill others because they “disrespected” you or your sister’s, mother’s, brother’s cousin slept with your grandmother’s best friend 50 years ago so you can’t talk to that person or get services because grandma’s best friend runs the tribal daycare. Thats the ridiculous circles that churn and control Covelo. Then add whos got the bigger truck, a bottle of Henny and the most cash gets the pussy tonight.
Poor kid! Makes me wonder how or why anyone would beat a young guy so badly?
It sounds like a long simmering hatred came to a boil.
I’m sure there is more to the story.
How sad and disgusting this is. No one deserves to die like that.! I really hope that the people in Covelo finally say enough is enough. Do the right thing and talk to the Sheriff if you know something. Even if a friend or family member did this, you never know, you could be next someday. Totally jacked-up situation!
With 10 federally recognized tribes of Mendocino County we have a fairly strong indigenous population. But fun fact on these federally recognized tribes. The last names are relatively the same. The lineages are all related. Cousins from Covelo calling out their cousins from Redwood Valley, beating their cousin from Manchester to go hang with the fam in Point Arena for a while cuz their pissed off at Hopland or Sherwood members. Then head back over to the valley. They have the different designations yet they are all strongly related. Not many of the young members functioning well. Elders have no power in the eyes of the youth. Drugs, money a cool whip your legit. When truly NONE of those items bring the clout they want. Only hard work and a self respect do, but thats in short supply anymore. Something needs to change ASAP some seroius soul searching. Blame solves nothing. RIP young Nico, you didnt know any better.
Goddamn! He was just a kid!
The tragedy is the fact no one stopped it from the happening.
Then you look at what happened a few days before at the round valley high school. A Mexican kid walks into our school with our students on campus with a gun and intentions to shoot up kids. Lucky he was stopped and put into jail before someone was hurt. The guy was released the next day with a zero bond and zero bail and his charges was misdemeanor. There was no need report about the situation as we sent it kids to school. A week later parents received a automated call about the school locking down campus from now on. That’s fine but the update could have been more public as this guy walks the streets every day with a promise that he will show up to court in Ukiah. He’s threatened numerous places of business with gang signs. One can easily tell this boy isn’t in a stable mind. So this guy gets to walk into our schools with a gun then walk free the next day, but any innocent family with guns in their home to protect thier family gets raided and sentenced to 3 years of prison time. The sheriff doesn’t come to covelo seeking the bad guys they want the people who haven’t gotten a record yet.
Outlaw, I went to the booking log for this incident, no mention that the young man had a gun. “PERSON UPON OR NEAR SCHOOL GROUND WITHOUT LAWFUL BUSINESS; INTERFER W/PEACEFUL CONDUCT.” As I frequent one of the places he is bothering, I am VERY interested in whether or not he has carried a gun. As problematic as our law enforcement situation is, I still have a very hard time believeing they would not keep this young man locked up if he had a gun on school grounds. I wonder how I can get the full story?
Everyone so quick to blame the natives for ALL the violence and corruption in covelo. Open your damn eyes, it’s the Mexicans that arrive year after year that pay the sheriff to leave them be. the Mexicans are getting away with so much illegal shit. Tribal is embezzling every cent they can get thier hands on, leaving thier own people to suffer lose in many ways therefore having to except the money the Mexicans are bringing in. With every million donated to the tribes not one family gets help with that money. If one reports the embezzling they get a negative outcome and the embezzling continues.
I’m guessing my last two comments won’t get posted due to the truth that will be put forward to the public. Go ahead delete what I’ve posted. I won’t stop here. It’s time to live in the real world of whats right. Choose to not post my comment that’s fine. I don’t need your site to tell my tell of truth. But best believe I will have to mention this site in my next report to comment some where else. Enough is enough is not going to stop unless the real news is reported
You have never commented using this address before so my software holds the comment until I have a chance to look at it and determine that it isn’t spam.
Parents suffer brutality, domestic violence, and missing, killed or raped kids ages 15-25. And all you can do is point at the natives. The Mexicans that come here have no morals no conscience no degnity only greed. They don’t care who suffers.
Then let’s look at Ukiah. Who wants to. That’s where all the fentanyl and drugs are at. When motel managers take boosted items from the retail stores for payment if the rooms they rent and nothing is being said or done about what’s obvious in that town. Maybe if the sheriff didn’t have thier greedy hands in that as well then our kids wouldn’t be so fucked up. Covelo has no fentanyl problem the way outsiders would like to portray.
“And all you can do.. ”
You are a sovereign nation. People outside have no right to interfere, nor should they. They have interfered too much already.. No right to interfere unless specifically and officially asked to help in specific instances.
So.. what exactly is it that you expect people outside of your nation to do? Come in and take control? Take sides in stuff they don’t know anything about? Arrest people when no one will testify? Fire your entire government? What? tell me..
Go talk to people. Be there for other people. Put aside the crap and make peace with families, or at least a truce. Then stop being a victim and stand up for each other.
Will this be weapon used on ana Scott? It’s a bulistics need not because ……
It is sad, I knew that young kid and I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks he didn’t deserve to die. Whoever did it or didn’t prevent it I doubt dove a creak bottom line he was a good kid and didn’t deserve to be beaten Amma shot and thrown in the street like garbage. You barricade talk about how cruel and injustice the white men were . But hey looks like you guys have a hay day killing your own people. I love his mom and brother and nick very much and whoever would do that and anyone who is not standing up for what is right well that in your soul. Fuck the police, really what is the people looking at for killing him oh a shower 3 meals a day. A place to lay his head every night I what a Harsh punishment. How about people standing up saying and endorsing the stopping of killing their own people. So doing what you his Haye white people for.
I know nick did nothing so bad that he deserved the treatment he got
Sorry for the bad spelling tired and early morning but I’m sure you got what I was trying to say, so stop doing to your people what you claim you hate about the white people for doing to your people when your allowing your own people to kill off your own people.