PHOENIX — An Arizona man has been found guilty of murdering a Navajo woman more than four years after she was first reported missing.
Tre C. James, 31, of Pinon was convicted this week of shooting and killing Jamie Yazzie after a seven-day trial in federal court. The jury found James guilty of first-degree murder and several domestic violence offenses.
Yazzie was reported missing in the summer of 2019. Her case brought further attention to the many Indigenous women who have been murdered or disappeared in recent years throughout the U.S.
A 2017 study found that Arizona reported the third-highest number of cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls. The study further found these cases are likely undercounted due to a lack of consistent data collection.
“Vindicating the rights of missing and murdered indigenous persons requires all the energy and compassion we have,” United States Attorney Gary Restaino said in a statement following James' conviction.
During the investigation into Yazzie's disappearance, investigators uncovered evidence of James abusing other women.
Yazzie's remains were found on the Hopi Indian Reservation in November 2021.
The defendant will be sentenced in January 2024. He faces a mandatory life sentence.
*Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.*
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