Catholic Nun Murdered During Burglary on Navajo Reservation
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – On November 1, 2009, a horrific crime shook the Navajo Reservation when Sister Marguerite Bartz, a Catholic nun, was brutally murdered during a burglary at her home in Navajo, New Mexico.
According to court records, Reehahlio Carroll, 21, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, broke into Sister Bartz’s trailer home on the grounds of the Saint Berard Mission and began rummaging through drawers and cabinets searching for cash and items of value to steal.
Carroll found a flashlight and used it to illuminate his way as he continued searching for items to steal. When he encountered Sister Bartz in one of the bedrooms and she attempted to defend herself by hitting him with a slipper, he brutally murdered her by beating her repeatedly with the flashlight and then strangling her with a t-shirt.
The pathologist who performed the autopsy concluded that the cause of death was multiple blunt force head trauma and ligature strangulation.
Carroll was arrested on tribal charges on November 5, 2009, after law enforcement officers learned that he had been observed driving a car that was reported stolen from the Mission’s grounds. He provided a detailed confession in which he admitted murdering Sister Bartz while burglarizing her home.
On April 5, 2013, Carroll pled guilty to a felony information charging him with the second-degree murder of Sister Bartz.
In a shocking twist, Carroll was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $8,992.25 in restitution.
This case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and the Window Rock Police District of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, with assistance from the New Mexico State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Presiliano A. Torrez and Paul H. Spiers.
Defendant Information:
Defendant: Reehahlio Carroll
Criminal Charges: Second-degree murder
City and State: Navajo, New Mexico
Exact Date: November 1, 2009 (crime date), April 5, 2013 (plea hearing), November 5, 2009 (arrest date)
Sentence or Outcome: 40 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release
Dollar Amounts: $8,992.25 in restitution
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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