Boyfriend sentenced for killing missing Navajo woman and hiding her remains

PHOENIX (TCN) -- The boyfriend of a missing indigenous woman from the Navajo Nation will spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing her and hiding her remains on a reservation in 2019.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced Sept. 23 that a judge sentenced 31-year-old Tre James to life in prison for the shooting death of Jamie Yazzie. A federal jury convicted James of first-degree murder, as well as several acts of domestic violence committed against three other Navajo women. James will also have to serve an additional 10 years in prison with five years of supervised release for the assaults.

According to the FBI Phoenix Field Office and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations, Yazzie was last seen near Pinon, Arizona, within the boundaries of Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, on June 30, 2019. Her remains were later found on the Hopi Indian Reservation in November 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Authorities say James fatally shot Yazzie before hiding her remains, which remained concealed until the discovery. According to prosecutors, officials faced multiple challenges in the case, as Yazzie hadn’t been reported missing for several days. James also reportedly committed the crimes while home alone with Yazzie, and he cleaned the scene. Investigators were also faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, "which hit the Navajo Nation particularly hard." Authorities purportedly uncovered the separate domestic violence crimes during the investigation.

According to The Associated Press, Yazzie’s three sons, now ages 10, 14, and 18, attended James’ sentencing, and other supporters demonstrated on the sidewalk by chanting and beating drums.

The Associated Press cited a 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice, stating that 84% of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in some form.

United States Attorney Gary Restaino said, "Securing justice for missing victims of violence necessitates courage, discipline, and collaboration. It also requires all of us to demonstrate our commitment with alacrity: for communities to report their missing loved ones as soon as possible; for victim advocates to engage early and often with next of kin; and for agents and prosecutors to charge cases as soon as they are ready to be charged."

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