20-Plus Year Sentences Handed Down in Billings South Side Fatal Carjacking

Violet Jean Littlelight, 23, of Hardin, and Shyanna Jo Whitewolf, 21, of Billings, were sentenced to federal prison last week for their roles in a carjacking that ended with the victim's death, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Littlelight, who pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count of carjacking resulting in death, received a 24-year sentence on Wednesday. Whitewolf, who entered the same plea that same month, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years. U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided over both hearings, and each woman will serve five years of supervised release after her prison term ends.

Third Suspect Identified in Fatal Billings Carjacking Case

Court documents identify a third participant, Brian Contreraz, 31. Prosecutors say the three worked together to lure a man Littlelight knew to South Park in Billings, with the goal of robbing him and taking his pickup truck.

How the Plot to Steal Keith Breckenridge's Truck Began

On the night of May 16, 2025, Littlelight was with Whitewolf and Contreraz in Billings when she began texting Keith Breckenridge, 51, asking for a ride. Once she mentioned it to the other two, prosecutors say the group settled on a plan: steal the truck, drive it to Hardin, and trade it with a drug dealer they knew for money or drugs.

Victim Hesitated Before Letting Carjacking Suspects Into Vehicle

Littlelight told Breckenridge to meet her at South Park. Whitewolf and Contreraz tagged along, telling him they needed a ride too. Breckenridge hesitated when he saw two strangers waiting with her, kept his doors locked, and asked who they were. Littlelight vouched for them, telling him they just needed a lift. He let his guard down and unlocked the truck.

Details of the Fatal Stabbing in Billings South Side Alley

Contreraz directed Breckenridge to drive to an alley behind Adams Street on the South Side, according to court filings. Whitewolf made conversation with him during the drive. When Breckenridge brought the truck to a stop in the alley, Contreraz leaned over and stabbed him about 20 times in the neck, chest, and stomach. The three pulled him out of the truck, left him on the ground, and drove away. He died there from his wounds.

Suspects Arrested While Burning Evidence on Crow Reservation

The group drove the truck to a house in Hardin, where they changed out of their blood-stained clothes and left them inside the vehicle. From Hardin, they went to a house on the Crow Reservation. There, Littlelight and Contreraz began wiping down the truck's interior and burning their clothing along with other evidence.

BIA officers showed up in the middle of the cleanup. Littlelight and Contreraz took off on foot. Whitewolf stayed put and told officers she had nothing to do with the truck. Investigators had all three in custody before the month was out.

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Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department led the investigation, and the FBI later joined to help expedite lab testing and pursue federal charges.