Virginia man indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges for deadly hit-and-run near Fortune Bay

TOWER, Minn./Northern News Now—A man has been federally indicted after a hit-and-run that killed a woman on the Bois Forte Reservation last month.

Eric Peterson, 50, of Virginia, was indicted on two counts of involuntary manslaughter. This comes after a federal criminal complaint was filed in December

An indictment is a formal charge against an individual. In federal court, a person cannot be convicted solely based on a criminal complaint.

According to court documents, on Dec. 17, dispatch received a report of a “suspected intoxicated woman” walking on Tibbets Trail Road near Fortune Bay Resort Casino within the boundaries of the Bois Forte Reservation.

Amanda Boshey, 38, mother of five children, was killed by a hit-and-run driver on December 17, 2024. Bois Forte Band of Chippewa

Court documents say officers found the woman, later identified as 38-year-old Amanda Boshey, unconscious near the road, was transported from the scene, and pronounced dead.

Boshey was a member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. Debris was found at the scene, and casino surveillance footage was used to identify a dark blue Dodge Durango.

Court documents say Peterson was the registered owner of the vehicle. A search warrant was executed at his residence, where a blue Dodge Durango was found in the driveway with damage consistent with the debris collected from the accident scene.

Court documents say at around 4:30 a.m., Peterson was given a preliminary breath test which had a blood alcohol content of 0.048, approximately seven and a half hours after the crash.

Peterson told authorities he had consumed four to eight alcoholic beverages while at the casino, but not after he returned home. He also said he believed he hit a deer on the way home, but did not stop to confirm what he hit.

The day after the crash, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on Boshey which showed she suffered “severe blunt force trauma to her body.” Additionally, blue-colored paint and metal fragments were found on her body and clothing.

Officials say Boshey’s injuries were consistent with being struck by a vehicle. Her cause of death was listed as “multiple blunt force injuries.”

Peterson is looking at up to 15 years behind bars for the incident. On Dec. 23, the court ordered he be released after processing and is scheduled to be back in court on March 10.