Tommy Dean Bullcoming Gets Life for Murder, Arson in Indian Country

Tommy Dean Bullcoming, 56, of Hammon, Oklahoma, will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being sentenced to life in federal prison for the brutal murder, kidnapping, carjacking, and arson of his ex-girlfriend in Indian Country. U.S. District Court Judge Charles B. Goodwin handed down the sentence on Monday, citing the heinous nature of the crimes and Bullcoming’s history of violence against women. The ruling caps a grim chapter that began with a savage assault on September 6, 2017, and ended in fire, blood, and betrayal.

The victim, a fellow member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, was beaten in her own home, her mouth and wrists bound with duct tape before being forced into her Lexus RX300. Bullcoming drove her to a remote field within Indian Country, where he made her walk 50 yards from the road before stabbing her 48 times and slitting her throat. Prosecutors presented chilling evidence at trial, including blood on the headrest of the vehicle and matching DNA on Bullcoming’s sandals. The jury heard how he then drove the bloodstained SUV back to her home and set it ablaze.

A five-count indictment unsealed April 6, 2018, charged Bullcoming with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, carjacking resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in death, and arson. On November 21, after a trial that began November 12, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts except premeditated murder, which they deadlocked on. The verdict came on what would have been the victim’s birthday, a detail that underscored the personal cruelty of the crime.

Volunteer firefighters from Hammon were among the first to notice fresh blood inside the home. BIA agents later found more blood on the headrest of the victim’s vehicle—both samples matching her DNA. Bullcoming’s blood, meanwhile, was found on the dashboard. When arrested in El Reno on September 8, 2017, by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, he had cuts and scrapes across his arms, legs, and hands, and blood stained his belt and sandals. Forensic analysis confirmed the blood on his footwear belonged to the victim.

Judge Goodwin imposed consecutive sentences: life for first-degree felony murder, 25 years for carjacking resulting in death, life for kidnapping resulting in death, and 25 years for arson. Bullcoming was also ordered to pay $17,613 in restitution for damage to the victim’s home and vehicle, as well as funeral expenses. With no parole in the federal system, he will die in prison. The court emphasized his three prior convictions for violent crimes against women as a key factor in the sentencing.

The case landed in federal jurisdiction because Bullcoming is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, the crimes occurred in Indian Country, and the carjacked vehicle had crossed state lines. The investigation was a massive interagency effort involving the BIA, FBI Oklahoma City, ATF, U.S. Secret Service, OSBI, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Roger Mills and Custer County Sheriff’s Offices, U.S. Marshals, and the Hammon Fire Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark R. Stoneman and Arvo Q. Mikkanen prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.