The boyfriend of a Navajo woman is set to be sentenced in her killing
The boyfriend of a Navajo woman whose killing highlighted calls to end an epidemic of missing and slain Indigenous women in North America was set to be sentenced for his murder conviction in the case
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The boyfriend of a Navajo woman whose killing became representative of an international movement that seeks to end an epidemic of missing and slain Indigenous women was due in court Monday afternoon to be sentenced for first-degree murder.
Tre C. James was convicted last fall in federal court in Phoenix in the fatal shooting of Jamie Yazzie. The jury at the time also found James guilty of several acts of domestic violence committed against three former dating partners.
Yazzie was 32 and the mother of three sons when she went missing in the summer of 2019 from her community of Pinon on the Navajo Nation. Despite a high-profile search, her remains were not found until November 2021 on the neighboring Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona.
Many of Yazzie’s friends and family members, including her mother, father, grandmother and other relatives, attended all seven days of James' trial.
Yazzie’s case gained attention through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women grassroots movement that draws attention to widespread violence against Indigenous women and girls in the United States and Canada.
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs characterizes the violence against Indigenous women as a crisis.
Women from Native American and Alaska Native communities have long suffered from high rates of assault, abduction and murder. A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice found that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women — 84% — have experienced violence in their lifetimes, including 56% who have been victimized by sexual violence.