Tahlequah Resident Pleads Guilty To Voluntary Manslaughter In Indian Country

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Colby Lin Deerinwater, a/k/a Colby Lyn Deerinwater, age 30, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to a Felony Information of one count of Voluntary Manslaughter in Indian Country, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.

The Information alleged that on July 5, 2024, Deerinwater killed the victim upon sudden quarrel or heat of passion.  The crime occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Tahlequah Police Department.

The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

A U.S. District Court Judge will determine the sentence to be imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 
Deerinwater will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lewis M. Reagan represented the United States.