MESA MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER OF NATIVE AMERICAN ON SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY

PHOENIX – On June 26, 2012, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a single count indictment against Tommy Eugene Medley, Jr., 23, of Mesa, Ariz., charging him with second degree murder.

The indictment alleges that on or about June 16, 2012, on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation, Medley committed second degree murder when he killed a Native American adult male. Medley was arrested the following day and will remain in federal custody pending trial.

A conviction for second degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. In determining an actual sentence, U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Salt River Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Jennifer M. Sanchez, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Brian E. Kasprzyk, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.

CASE NUMBER:                  CR-12-01219-DGC
RELEASE NUMBER:           2012-163(Medley)

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az