RUSHVILLE, Neb. - A fight over a bottle of vodka at a Rushville motel turned deadly. Now, the man convicted in the case will spend decades behind bars.

Brent Ghost, 45, was sentenced Monday to 40 to 50 years in prison for the murder of 32-year-old Jacob American Horse-Garnier in 2023. According to court documents, Ghost became enraged after learning Garnier had drunk his vodka. Prosecutors say he brutally beat Garnier—kicking him, stomping on his head and ribs, and attempting to flip a bed on top of him.

“I just hope justice is served,” said Garnier’s grandmother, Linda White Face.

Speaking outside the courthouse on a rainy, windswept day, White Face reflected on the age difference between the victim and his attacker.

“The suspect looked a lot older than my grandson,” said White Face.

In addition to seeking justice for her grandson, White Face hopes the case brings more attention to the broader crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

“We did start a chapter in Nebraska for missing and murdered Indigenous people and women,” she said.

Garnier was more than a victim, she said—he was a father, a brother, and a grandson whose life mattered.