Fort McDermitt Man Charged For Double Murder On Indian Reservation

RENO, Nev. – A Fort McDermitt, Nevada, resident was charged today in federal court for allegedly murdering two individuals on the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson of the District of Nevada.

Stoney Prior, 40, a member of the Fort McDermitt Shoshone Paiute Tribe, was charged in a criminal complaint with two-counts of first-degree murder in Indian Country. A preliminary hearing is scheduled before U.S. District Magistrate Judge William G. Cobb on February 22, 2018.

According to allegations contained in the complaint, on January 31, 2018, Prior shot and killed two individuals in a residence. The first victim was shot in the head and neck with a shotgun and the second victim was shot in the arm, body, and head. Both victims were members of the Fort McDermitt Shoshone Paiute Tribe.

If convicted, the mandatory minimum sentence is life in prison.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs with assistance from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon M. Bryant is prosecuting the case.

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