Rachel C. Hernandez Acting United States Attorney for the District of Arizona | U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona
On March 12, 2025, a jury found Clifton Nez Hamalowa guilty of several charges including First-Degree Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The verdict was delivered after a seven-day trial presided over by United States District Court Judge John J. Tuchi.
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Hamalowa shot the victim multiple times in the head on August 29, 2020, following an altercation. The body was disposed of in a remote area within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation. In addition, Hamalowa's brother disposed of the victim’s vehicle in Parker, Arizona, while his sister forced her daughter to clean up blood from the crime scene on the Gila River Indian Reservation. Witnesses were intimidated into silence for two weeks until one managed to alert authorities at the Gila River Police Department, leading to the rescue of the victim's minor child from their home.
Thomas Leon Hamalowa, Clifton's brother, admitted guilt as an Accessory-After-the-Fact to Murder and received a sentence of 108 months imprisonment on October 23, 2023. Devonne Beth Hamalowa, Clifton's sister, also pleaded guilty to similar charges and was sentenced to 84 months on April 1, 2024.
The investigation was conducted by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Gila River Police Department. The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer E. LaGrange and Travis L. Wheeler from the District of Arizona in Phoenix.
