In the cold of a Montana winter, the life of Michael Anthony Biggs, a 39-year-old Caucasian male, came to a tragic and violent end. On January 14, 2022, his body was discovered by a snowmobiler on Rimini Road, about 4.5 miles south of Highway 12 near Helena. He was found frozen in the snow, the victim of a gunshot wound to the head. An obituary notes his passing on January 13, 2022.
The investigation into his death was quickly classified as a homicide.
Authorities determined that Biggs's death was not a random act of violence, but a calculated and purposeful crime. Investigators learned that just days before his death, on January 10, Biggs had cas_hed a check for a substantial amount of money. Surveillance footage from a casino showed him with another man, identified as Brandon Michael Beckman, gambling on January 12. It was reported that Biggs had given Beckman money to use for gambling.
The investigation led to the arrests of two Helena-area men: 36-year-old Brandon Michael Beckman and 31-year-old Robert John Harvel. Both were charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. According to court records, Harvel told investigators that Beckman had instructed him to drive Biggs to the Rimini area under the pretense of a methamphetamine deal. Harvel claimed that after they arrived and Biggs exited the vehicle, Beckman shot him in the back of the head.
Following the shooting, Harvel alleged that Beckman took Biggs's money and, at gunpoint, forced him to help move the body. Their attempt to flee was hampered when their blue sedan became stuck in the snow, an incident corroborated by a witness who had helped two men matching their descriptions. In 2023, Brandon Beckman was convicted by a jury for his role in the murder and was sentenced to 100 years in state prison. More recently, in October 2025, Robert Harvel was also found guilty for his participation in the robbery and killing. During his trial, Harvel maintained that Beckman was the one who killed Biggs and that he only cooperated out of fear for his own life.
