Joe Arviso Benally, Involuntary Manslaughter & Firearm Use, Arizona 2014

A devastating verdict has been handed down in Red Valley, Arizona, as 51-year-old Joe Arviso Benally was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and use of a firearm in a crime of violence.

The jury delivered their verdict on July 9, 2014, following a trial before U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow. Benally was immediately remanded into custody pending sentencing on September 29, 2014.

The evidence presented during the trial revealed that Benally had an argument with the victim, after which he retrieved his .270 caliber hunting rifle, loaded it, and shot the victim in the chest, resulting in the victim’s death.

The conviction for involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 8 years, a $250,000 fine, or both. Additionally, a conviction for use of a firearm in a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years, consecutive to the punishment for the crime of violence.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Karlen and Christina Covault handled the prosecution.

The case number is CR-13-8095-PCT-GMS (DKD), and the release number is 2014-038_Benally. For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Beneath the surface of this tragic event lies a complex web of circumstances that led to this devastating outcome. As the legal process unfolds, one thing is certain: justice will be served.

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