Federal Jury Convicts Tahlequah Resident Of First Degree Murder In Indian Country

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Isaac Newman Sockey, age 39, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of First Degree Murder in Indian Country.

The jury trial began with testimony on Monday, December 11, 2023, and concluded on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, with the guilty verdict.

During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on September 8, 2023, Sockey stabbed the victim in the head, neck, and back after a verbal altercation at a private residence.  The victim was life-flighted to a Tulsa hospital but died from injuries sustained in the attack.  The crime occurred in Tahlequah, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The guilty verdict was the result of an investigation by the Tahlequah Police Department, the Cherokee Nation Attorney General’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report.  Sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report.  Sockey will remain in custody of the United States Marshal until sentencing.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin Gross and Gregory Dean Burris represented the United States.