Colorado Man Charged in Murder of Annie Colhoff on Pine Ridge

Orlando Guadalupe Jose Ephron Villanueva de Macias, a 36-year-old man from Colorado, stands charged with the cold-blooded murder of Chunta Suta Wi Colhoff, known as Annie Colhoff, shot dead on September 29, 2016, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Federal prosecutors say Villanueva de Macias, also known as “Chris,” unleashed deadly gunfire in a crime that has rippled across tribal and federal jurisdictions.

On November 16, 2016, a federal grand jury returned a sweeping indictment charging Villanueva de Macias with Second Degree Murder, Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, and Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollman on December 9, 2016, and entered a plea of not guilty. The charges carry a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $100 payment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The fatal shooting occurred on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, a jurisdiction fraught with complex law enforcement challenges. Authorities say Villanueva de Macias not only fired the shots that killed Colhoff but also unlawfully possessed ammunition on the same day—federal violations that escalated the case to U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Seiler’s office.

A sprawling coalition of law enforcement agencies has been chasing leads and securing evidence. The Federal Bureau of Investigation leads the probe, backed by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and Rapid City Police Department. From Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, Aurora Police Department, and Lakewood Police Department provided critical support.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn N. Rich and Sarah B. Collins are prosecuting the case, building a federal case that hinges on forensic evidence, witness accounts, and jurisdictional reach. Villanueva de Macias remains in custody under the watch of the U.S. Marshals Service as the legal machinery gears toward trial.

A trial date has been set for February 14, 2017. For now, Villanueva de Macias is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But in the tight-knit community of Pine Ridge, where violence too often goes unresolved, this indictment marks a rare moment of federal accountability—and the promise of justice for Annie Colhoff.

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