Devon Leroy Battiest, Murder in Indian Country - Second Degree, Oklahoma 2024

MURDER IN BROKEN BOW: Broken Bow Resident Devon Leroy Battiest Sentenced to 168 Months in Prison

Muskogee, Oklahoma - A Broken Bow resident, Devon Leroy Battiest, 43, has been sentenced to 168 months in prison for one count of Murder in Indian Country - Second Degree.

According to the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the charge arose from investigations by the Broken Bow Police Department, the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On January 17, 2024, Battiest pleaded guilty to the charge.

The crime occurred on May 6, 2023, when Battiest entered a Broken Bow residence armed with a firearm and shot and killed a guest at the residence. The crimes took place in McCurtain County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The Honorable Keith Starrett, U.S. District Judge, presided over the hearing in Muskogee. Battiest will remain in custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant United States Attorney Richard J. Lorenz represented the United States. This case was the result of a collaborative effort between multiple law enforcement agencies to ensure justice for the victim and their family.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma reminds the public that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The case number is CR-2023-001 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edok/pr/broken-bow-resident-sentenced-murder