Desma Valdez, Second-Degree Murder, Oklahoma 2022

Related Federal Cases

Bradley Wade Wofford, Second Degree Murder, Oklahoma 2024 · Oklahoma
Tevin Terrell Semien, Second-Degree Murder, Oklahoma 2023 · Oklahoma
Kenneth Leon Thomas Jr, Second Degree Murder, Oklahoma 2024 · Oklahoma
Chad Alan Hudgins, Second-Degree Murder, Oklahoma 2021 · Oklahoma
Jeremy Keith Reece, Second-Degree Murder, OK 2015 · Oklahoma

Table of Contents

Oklahoma Woman Sentenced to 21 Years for House Fire Deaths

OKLAHOMA CITY – A Lincoln County woman has been sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison for second-degree murder in connection with a house fire in Indian Country.

Desma Valdez, 20, was sentenced to serve 262 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Bernard M. Jones.

The case stemmed from a fire on December 28, 2019, at a trailer home on tribal land of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma. Public records reflect that Valdez deliberately set fire to the trailer home in which her sister and her sister’s boyfriend slept. Both victims died in the fire.

Valdez pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder on March 10, 2021. The case was charged in federal court because the crime took place in Indian Country and Valdez is an Indian.

The investigation into the fire was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Oklahoma City Field Division, the Kickapoo Tribal Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Stoneman and Thomas B. Snyder prosecuted the case.

Valdez has been in federal custody since her arrest on January 1, 2020. The fire that killed her sister and her sister’s boyfriend was a devastating blow to the community, and the lengthy sentence is a reflection of the seriousness of the offense.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Jones noted the impact to both the victims and the families of the victims.

Desma Valdez, Crime: Second-Degree Murder, State: Oklahoma, Year: 2022

Mandatory Facts:

1. Defendant/respondent name: Desma Valdez

2. Exact criminal charges: Two counts of second-degree murder

3. City and state: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

4. Exact date with month/day/year: December 28, 2019 (crime date), January 1, 2020 (arrest date), March 10, 2021 (plea date), and March 10, 2022 (sentencing date)

5. Sentence or outcome: 262 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release