{"id":31471,"date":"2023-09-27T15:49:37","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T21:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/man-convicted-in-phoenix-for-murder-of-jamie-yazzie\/"},"modified":"2023-09-27T21:49:37","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T21:49:37","slug":"man-convicted-in-phoenix-for-murder-of-jamie-yazzie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/man-convicted-in-phoenix-for-murder-of-jamie-yazzie\/","title":{"rendered":"Man convicted in Phoenix for murder of Jamie Yazzie"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jamie
Jamie Lynette Yazzie<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Tre C. James was convicted Wednesday in Phoenix on all counts relating to the murder of Jamie Lynette Yazzie, providing a sense of justice for three other victims, Yazzie\u2019s family and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives movement.<\/p>\n

Yazzie disappeared from Pi\u00f1on, Arizona, Jun 30, 2019. Her body was discovered Nov. 23, 2021, 7 miles from Pi\u00f1on, just over the border on the Hopi reservation.<\/p>\n

The trial began Sept. 12, at the Arizona District Court in Phoenix, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Sexton and Jennifer LaGrange. James was tried on nine counts of domestic violence.<\/p>\n

Counts 1 and 2 were the first-degree murder<\/a> of Yazzie and discharging a firearm in relation to her murder. Counts 3 through 9 alleged domestic violence against three other women between 2018 and 2019, including assault by suffocation, kidnapping, assault by strangling, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault resulting in substantial bodily injury.<\/p>\n

\n

MMIWR Resources<\/h4>\n

Law Offices of Darlene Gomez: www.dargomezlaw.comMuzzy Denetso, MMDR: navajommdr@gmail.comVangie<\/a> Randall-Shorty, northwest branch of New Mexico Crusaders for Justice: www.facebook.com\/groups\/659130935745109\/user\/100000013050467Anyone with knowledge of any missing or murdered individual is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov\/home. In San Juan County, Farmington FBI office: (505) 326-5584. Families of missing and murdered relatives with open Farmington PD cases are offered victim services. Contact Sarah Holiday, Farmington PD Victim Advocate at (505) 486-563. Tips may remain anonymous.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Albuquerque attorney Darlene Gomez, pro bono private counsel for Yazzie\u2019s family, stood beside them as the jury returned to the courtroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good feeling. It\u2019s amazing,\u201d said Yazzie\u2019s mother, Ethelene Denny. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone this far, and I thought it would never come. But today\u2019s the day, and I am so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tre
Tre C. James<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\"Darlene
Darlene Gomez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

He also was tried for domestic violence charges perpetrated on three women. James is alleged to have attempted to strangle, suffocate and assault the victims with a deadly weapon between 2018 and 2021.<\/p>\n

James faces a sentence of life in prison for Yazzie\u2019s first-degree murder, and another life sentence is expected for the remaining eight charges, according to Gomez. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 29.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe deserves it. He had no remorse in court. Didn\u2019t look like he cared,\u201d said Denny.<\/p>\n

She said she hoped other MMIWR families will be encouraged to come forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty sure this will help a lot of other families. A matter of \u2026 putting an effort in it. Not giving up no matter what. It was a long four years, but we did it,\u201d Denny said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we did it alone,\u201d Gomez said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t get any help from the Navajo Nation. If the Navajo Nation doesn\u2019t support their women, how can we expect mainstream American to support them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, the Navajo Nation will realize they will have to put in effort,\u201d said Denny. \u201cIt was MMIWR victims and families that supported us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve put a lot of miles on our moccasins,\u201d said Gomez. \u201cNot on a paved road. We\u2019ve taken the Red Road, with potholes and washed-out washes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe obstacles we faced,\u201d said Denny.<\/p>\n

Gomez said James is expected to appeal the verdict. That means the federal government will not return Yazzie\u2019s remains to her family for at least six months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will begin healing when my daughter\u2019s remains come back,\u201d Denny said.<\/p>\n

\"Family
Family and friends of Jamie Yazzie, and attorneys and FBI agents involved in the case. (Ann Willow\/Special to the Tri-City Record)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
\n

Jamie Lynette Yazzie timeline<\/h4>\n

2019: Jamie Lynette Yazzie goes missing from Pi\u00f1on, Arizona, on June 30. Attorney Darlene Gomez takes the case, her first MMWIR case in private practice. Nov. 23, 2021: Jamie Yazzie\u2019s body is found on Hopi ReservationAug. 4, 2022: Tre C. James of Pi\u00f1on, Arizona, is arrested and indicted on nine counts of domestic violence, including first-degree murder of Jamie YazzieSept. 12, 2023: James goes on trial for her first-degree murderSept. 27, 2023: Guilty verdict on all charges. James\u2019s sentencing scheduled for Jan. 29, 2024.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

missing in 2019; Tre C. James also convicted of abusing three other women<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-31471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31471"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=31471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}