Brian Riggs, 51, of Jeddito, Arizona, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi to 30 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Riggs, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was convicted of Second Degree Murder following a seven-day jury trial.

On February 16, 2019, emergency medical services responded to a home on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. The victim was deceased and had sustained injuries over his entire body. Riggs was the only other person present at the home when the victim was killed. The victim and Riggs were involved in an intimate relationship.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tracy Van Buskirk and Brian Kasprzyk, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.