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Press Release

Bylas Man Sentenced to 293 Months for Second Degree Murder

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Marvin Tona, 48, of Bylas, Arizona, was sentenced on December 19, 2022, by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 293 months in prison. Tona pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder. 

On September 5, 2021, while on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, Tona argued with the adult victim, a one-time friend, at a residence in Bylas, Arizona. Armed with a handgun, Tona shot into a bedroom of the residence where the victim was located. The bullet struck and killed the victim. Both the victim and Tona are enrolled members of the San Carlos Apache Indian community.

Agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Officers of the San Carlos Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas C. Simon, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-21-00830-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-002_Tona

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

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Updated January 6, 2023

Topics
Violent Crime
Indian Country Law and Justice
Press Release Number: 2023-002_Tona