Navajo Man Sentenced to Over 15 Years for Second Degree Murder

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Adren Yazzie, 39, of Blue Gap, Arizona, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow to 15.5 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Yazzie pleaded guilty to second degree murder.

In June 2022, Yazzie struck the victim in the head multiple times with a shovel, killing him. Both Yazzie and the victim are members of the Navajo Nation.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Kiyoko Patterson, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-8078-PCT-GMS
RELEASE NUMBER:    2023-082_Yazzie

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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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