Elan David Nash, 36, of Polacca, Arizona was sentenced on September 25, 2023, by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 25 years in prison. Nash previously pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder, Kidnapping, and Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury of an Intimate Partner.

During a violent crime spree in November of 2019, Nash shot and killed a woman on the Hopi Indian Reservation. Soon after that incident, Nash picked up another woman from the side of the road and forced her into his vehicle. He drove her to a remote area of the Hopi Indian Reservation, where he robbed her.

After a pursuit by tribal law enforcement, Nash abandoned the vehicle he was driving, leaving behind evidence related to the murder. The investigation into these crimes also revealed that on December 3, 2019, on the Navajo Nation, Nash assaulted his then girlfriend, leaving her with substantial injuries. Nash pleaded guilty to all three charges in a single plea agreement combining three separate cases.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from Hopi Law Enforcement Services and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.