McIntosh County Resident Sentenced For Causing Death By Firearm During A Crime Of Violence

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Fredrick Cody Burkhalter, age 27, of Rentiesville, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 222 months in prison for causing the death of a person by firearm during a crime of violence.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Police Department.

The investigation was also aided by personnel from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Checotah Police Department, the District 25 Violent Crime Task Force, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Attorney General’s Office, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Fire Department Hazmat Unit, the Tulsa Fire Department, the Oklahoma Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue K9 Team, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Emergency Management, and the Tulsa Humane Society HEART Team.

On March 28, 2024, Burkhalter pleaded guilty to one count of Causing the Death of a Person in the Course of a Violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c).

According to investigators, in April of 2022, Burkhalter intentionally shot and killed the victim, then disposed of the victim’s body and attempted to cover up the crime.  The victim’s remains were recovered and identified during a coordinated search of Burkhalter’s home and property conducted by a multi-agency task force.  The crime occurred in McIntosh County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office extends its deepest gratitude to each and every one of the state, county, tribal, and federal agencies who came to the aid of investigators and offered their invaluable partnership and combined efforts to bring resolution to this case,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.  “It is always heartbreaking when we are unable to bring good news to the family of a missing person, but we hope that this sentence brings a measure of closure to a family and a community during their time of grief.”

The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.  Burkhalter will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Flanigan and Richard Lorenz represented the United States.