A federal jury has convicted Marian Marsha Josytewa, 40, of Polacca, Arizona, on multiple charges including involuntary manslaughter and child abuse. The verdict was delivered after a six-day trial in Phoenix before United States District Court Judge Steven P. Logan. Sentencing is set for November 3, 2025.
According to evidence presented at trial, Josytewa consumed several beers before picking up her two children from school in Flagstaff on December 10, 2021. While driving back to the Hopi Tribe homeland on a highway within the Navajo Nation, she lost control of her vehicle and rolled it. One of her sons was ejected from the car and died as a result of the crash. A blood test conducted after the incident showed Josytewa had a blood alcohol content of .113.
Josytewa was found guilty of one count each of involuntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, two counts of child abuse, and one count of driving under the influence. The charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years supervised release. Involuntary manslaughter carries up to eight years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and not more than three years supervised release. The other convictions could add more than seven years to her sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Phoenix Division’s Flagstaff office and Navajo Police Department with help from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, and Navajo County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
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