PHOENIX — Two men from Arizona have been sentenced to more than 25 years in federal prison for the brutal 2021 murder of a transgender woman on Navajo Nation land, officials announced this week.
Isiah Adam Smith, 25, received a 27-year sentence (324 months) from U.S. District Judge Michael T. Liburdi on Monday. His co-defendant, 24-year-old Trevor Joe Begay, was previously sentenced in September 2024 to 30 years and five months (365 months).
Hate Crime Details Emerge in Navajo Nation Murder Case
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, both men pleaded guilty to killing the woman specifically because she was transgender. After meeting the victim online and learning about her identity, they allegedly decided to “teach the victim a lesson.”
Smith and Begay arranged to meet with her, confiscated her phone, and drove her into the desert, where they beat her to death. A hiker discovered her body the next day.
Authorities said the men attempted to destroy evidence by burning the victim’s phone and their own clothing.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Phoenix and Indian Country offices in collaboration with the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations.
