Whiteriver Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Voluntary Manslaughter
| U.S. Attorney’s Office August 05, 2010 |
PHOENIX—Elijah Massey, 21, of Whiteriver, Ariz., was sentenced on August 2, 2010, by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Rosenblatt to 84 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. On May 17, 2010, Massey pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. The incident occurred on May 26, 2007, on the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation.
The facts showed that Elijah Massey stabbed the victim with a knife after an argument. The two men had fought earlier that day and Massey’s friend was hit in the head with a rock. Massey became very upset and returned to fight the victim with a knife and proceeded to stab him. The victim died as a result.
Elijah Massey was 17 years old at the time that the crime was committed. He was charged in a juvenile information. He agreed to transfer to adult status during the process of plea negotiations. He pled to an adult information.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Whiteriver Police Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Pinetop, Ariz. The prosecution was handled by Heather H. Belt, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-10-8102- PCT-PGR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2010-167 (Massey)