Tulsa Man Charged for a Craig County Murder

A Tulsa man has been charged in federal court for a murder that occurred in Craig County on March 21, 2021, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Josiah Gammill was charged with murder in the first degree in Indian Country and made an initial appearance today at 2 pm in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul J. Cleary.

Law enforcement discovered the victim’s body along with two expended shotgun shell hulls and the victim’s wallet and cellphone on County Road E 260, near an intersection with County Road S 4440. The victim was found with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. The crime was committed within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation.

According to the criminal complaint, Gammill, the victim and two other passengers were traveling on the road and stopped the vehicle for a short break. Shortly after the group got out of the car, Gammill is alleged to have retrieved a shotgun from the trunk of the vehicle, walked toward the victim and fired two shots into the victim’s torso. Gammill and the others reportedly drove away from the scene and returned to Tulsa.  

During the investigation, Tulsa Police detectives and agents and officers assigned to the FBI’s Safe Trails Task Force located multiple items allegedly linking the defendant to the murder, including burned clothing remnants, a shotgun shell, and a shotgun. The Tulsa Police Department’s Fugitive Squad arrested the defendant in his room at the Tulsa Inn and Suites.

This matter will proceed in U.S. District Court in Tulsa, where the criminal complaint is currently pending. A complaint is a temporary charge alleging a violation of law. For the case to proceed to trial, the United States must present the charge to a federal grand jury within 30 days. Once a grand jury returns an indictment, a defendant has a right to a jury trial at which the United States would have the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The FBI, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Tulsa Police Department and Craig County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Urban is prosecuting the case.