SALT LAKE CITY, UT – A quiet stretch of Northeastern Utah turned deadly last month, and now Leroy Poowegup Reed, 42, of Whiterocks, is facing the music. A federal grand jury indicted Reed on charges of first-degree murder after he allegedly executed another man with a bow and arrow. The incident, which unfolded on June 26, 2025, has shaken the Whiterocks community and prompted a swift response from multiple law enforcement agencies.
The nightmare began with a 911 call reporting a possible vehicle accident. What officers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office found was far more sinister: a black GMC pickup with a single occupant slumped inside, an arrow protruding from his neck just above the collarbone. The victim was already gone. The scene reeked of premeditation, not a roadside mishap.
Investigators quickly zeroed in on a nearby residence, where they found Leroy Poowegup Reed yelling at responding officers. Bloodstains were discovered on the road leading to his home. A search yielded a bow and arrows, quickly identified as the potential murder weapon. But the most damning evidence came in the form of surveillance video. The footage, according to court documents, clearly shows the victim exiting his truck and approaching Reed’s property. Reed then emerges, bow drawn, and calmly releases an arrow, striking the victim in the neck. The victim, hands raised, attempts to retreat to his truck, but the damage was done. Reed casually walks back to his residence, leaving the victim to die.
The arrows seized from Reed’s home matched the one embedded in the victim’s neck, cementing the case against him. Leroy Poowegup Reed was initially charged by complaint on June 27, 2025, and remains detained pending further legal proceedings. He is charged with murder in the first degree while within Indian Country, a designation that brings federal jurisdiction into play.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah announced the indictment, highlighting the collaborative effort of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Vernal Resident Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Pead and Victoria K. McFarland are prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating violent crime and dismantling transnational criminal organizations.
Leroy Poowegup Reed is scheduled for an initial appearance on the indictment on July 17, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. It’s important to remember that an indictment is merely an allegation. Leroy Poowegup Reed is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Key Facts
- State: Utah
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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