Termaine Billy Celaya, Second Degree Murder, Arizona 2024

A shocking wave of violence has hit the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona, with five individuals arrested and indicted for a range of serious crimes. Termaine Billy Celaya, 19, of Whiteriver, has been charged with Second Degree Murder for his alleged involvement in a fatal car accident that occurred on April 24, 2024.

According to authorities, Celaya’s indictment is just one of several high-profile cases to emerge from the reservation in recent months. Donovan Skidmore, 25, of Whiteriver, has been charged with Robbery for an armed robbery that took place at the 7-Mile Store on February 7, 2024. Eagle Tail Ron Tointigh, 21, of Whiteriver, is facing Assault by Strangling and Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury charges for a domestic assault that occurred on August 11, 2024.

Maurissa Marie Edwards, 34, of Cibecue, has been indicted for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon for a stabbing that occurred on February 6, 2024. Donovan Wayne Declay, 29, of Whiteriver, is facing two counts of Sexual Abuse and one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse for a sexual assault that took place on December 24, 2022.

These arrests were made on November 20, 2024 as part of a joint law enforcement operation involving the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigations, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Church handling the prosecutions. The case numbers for each defendant are as follows: CR-24-8095-PCT-DWL, CR-24-8096-PCT-GMS, CR-24-8146-PCT-DJH, CR-24-8101-PCT-MTL, and CR-24-8113-PCT-SMB.

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 X at @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Defendant’s name: Termaine Billy Celaya, exact criminal charges: Second Degree Murder, city and state: Whiteriver, Arizona, exact date: April 24, 2024, sentence or outcome: currently pending, dollar amounts: none.