Fort Defiance Man Sentenced to 17.5 Years for Second Degree Murder

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Yesterday, Lodi Gene Bitsie II, 25, of Fort Defiance, Arizona, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan to 17.5 years in prison. Bitsie previously pleaded guilty to second degree murder.                                                                                                        

On April 7, 2019, Bitsie began an argument with the victim, punched him, produced a large knife, and then stabbed the victim in the chest. The victim died as a result. Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation promptly began an investigation, which led to Bitsie’s arrest and prosecution.  Bitsie is a member of the Navajo Nation, as was the victim, and the crime occurred in Fort Defiance on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney William G. Voit, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR 19-08082-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2020-060_Bitsie

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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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