Navajo Man Sentenced to 151 Months in Prison for Federal Murder Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE—On February 13, 2012, in federal court in Albuquerque, Darnell Begay, 36, was sentenced to a 151-month term of imprisonment for his second-degree murder conviction. He will be on supervised release for three years after he completes his prison sentence.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said that, on April 7, 2011, Darnell Begay and his cousin, Tyrus Begaye, 35, each pleaded guilty to killing Peyton Hogue on February 6, 2010, in Burnham, N.M., a small community on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Darnell Begay and Tyrus Begaye are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation who reside in Burnham. Their victim, Mr. Hogue, was also a member of the Navajo Nation.

According to court records, shortly after midnight on February 6, 2010, officers of the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety (NNDPS) were notified that a dead man, later identified as Mr. Hogue, had been found near the residence of Darnell Begay. Mr. Hogue had sustained extensive trauma to his face and neck and had small puncture wounds in his abdomen. On February 8, 2010, at the urging of relatives and community leaders, Darnell Begay and Tyrus Begaye walked into the NNDPS office in Shiprock and made voluntary statements to the FBI and NNDPS. Each independently admitted that the two cousins beat Mr. Hogue with their fists and kicked him in the head. Each also stated that Mr. Hogue was sitting up and coughing up blood when they departed from the scene of the attack. Mr. Hogue died as a result of the injuries he suffered during the attack.

Darnell Begay and Tyrus Begaye have been in federal custody since they were arrested on February 8, 2010. On October 13, 2011, Tyrus Begaye also was sentenced to a 151-month term of imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the FBI and NNDPS, Shiprock Division, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roberto D. Ortega.