A federal jury in Oklahoma has found William Clayton Brown, 39, guilty of Murder in Indian Country. The gruesome crime took place on October 19, 2019, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.
The evidence presented during the trial revealed that Brown, a validated member of the Indian Brotherhood (IBH) prison gang, brutally killed his cellmate, Mark Lawhead, by beating and strangling him. The motive behind the heinous crime was to improve Brown’s standing and reputation within the IBH.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case due to Brown’s affiliation with a federally-recognized Indian tribe and the fact that the crime occurred in Pittsburg County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation.
The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Brown is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment. He was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal pending the sentencing hearing, which will be scheduled following the completion of a presentence report.
Brown will be sentenced by the Honorable Jodi W. Dishman, U.S. District Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, who presided over the trial in Oklahoma City.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Montoya and Casey Richmond represented the U.S. government in the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Joseph Allen Hernandez, Murder in Indian Country and Arson in Indian Country, Oklahoma 2019 · Oklahoma
- Devon Leroy Battiest, Murder in Indian Country – Second Degree, Oklahoma 2023 · Oklahoma
- Tanner Dean Washington, Murder in Indian Country—Second Degree, Oklahoma 2019 · Oklahoma
- Michael Wayne Lambert, Murder in Indian Country, Oklahoma 2024 · Oklahoma
- Dustin Kyle Marris, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country, Oklahoma 2021 · Oklahoma
Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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