MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Cainen Isaac Shephard, age 22, of Okemah, Oklahoma, entered a guilty plea to an Indictment charging him with one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country.
The Indictment alleged that on July 2, 2024, Shephard assaulted the victim with a dangerous weapon. The crime occurred in Okfuskee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Okemah Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report. Shephard was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service pending sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Robinson represented the United States.
Federal Jury Convicts McIntosh County Resident Of Murder
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that David Deval Martin, age 39, of McIntosh County, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury for the 2013 murder of a Checotah resident.
The jury trial began with testimony on October 8, 2024, and concluded on October 11, 2024, with the verdict of guilty on one count of Murder in Indian Country.
During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on November 7, 2013, Martin killed a Checotah resident with malice aforethought. At trial, the government presented evidence that Martin viciously beat and stabbed the victim, who sustained over 109 separate injuries during the attack, including dozens of injuries to the head and neck. At the scene of the crime, investigators recovered Martin’s DNA mixed with the victim’s own blood from the front door of the home, and Martin’s fingerprint on the handle of a metal rod used to beat the victim. Martin’s DNA was also recovered from the steering wheel of the victim’s abandoned car. The crime occurred in McIntosh County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation of Oklahoma, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The guilty verdicts were the result of investigations by the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Honorable Timothy D. DeGiusti, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, sitting by assignment, presided over the trial in Oklahoma City and ordered the completion of a presentence report. The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report. Martin will remain in the custody of the United States Marshal until sentencing.
Trial Attorneys Jared Hernandez and Bryan Lynch from the Department of Justice Violent Crime and Racketeering Section represented the United States.
Seminole County Resident Sentenced For Federal Firearms Offense
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Rian Reid Miller, age 23, of Wewoka, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for one count of using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Seminole Nation Lighthorse Police, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
On February 7, 2024, Miller pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on April 29, 2023, Miller shot an individual twice with a .380 Smith and Wesson handgun during an assault at a Wewoka residence. Miller then fled the scene but was identified by the victim, who survived the assault. Law enforcement later apprehended Miller, who was found hiding in the crawlspace of an area residence in possession of a .380 Smith and Wesson handgun. The crime occurred in Seminole County, within the boundaries of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Miller will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Coal County Resident Sentenced For Manslaughter
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Ronald Wayne Yarbrough Jr., age 54, of Lehigh, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 115 months in prison for voluntary manslaughter.
The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On August 31, 2023, Yarbrough pleaded guilty to an Information of one count of Voluntary Manslaughter in Indian Country. According to investigators, on November 24, 2022, Yarbrough instigated a fight outside the family home. During the fight, Yarbrough stabbed the victim in the neck. The victim was later declared dead at an area hospital. The crime occurred in Coal County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Kea W. Riggs, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court of New Mexico, sitting by assignment, presided over the hearing in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Yarbrough will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Howanitz represented the United States.
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