In the small, isolated community of Dennehotso, Arizona, a heart-wrenching story unfolded within the Yazzie family home on September 1, 1996. Five-year-old Nathalie Yazzie, a young Navajo girl, was tragically killed. Her life was cut short when her own father, 33-year-old Norman Dean Yazzie, entered the family's trailer and opened fire. Nathalie, along with her three older sisters, Jazann, 13, Veneashia, 15, and Cara, 8, were fatally shot with a.
22-caliber rifle while they were watching television.
The horrific event was witnessed by Nathalie's 11-year-old brother, Rhyan, who was also shot but managed to survive by pretending to be dead. The children's mother was away visiting relatives at the time of the incident. Prior to the shooting, Norman Dean Yazzie had been drinking and had set two vehicles on fire near their home. His parents, drawn by the smoke, discovered him with the rifle and the bodies of their granddaughters inside the trailer, which smelled of gasoline. They were able to restrain him, but he escaped before authorities arrived.
Law enforcement apprehended Norman Dean Yazzie the following morning, finding him hiding in a nearby hogan. A note he had written revealed his motive was despair over his failing marriage. He was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder in December 1996. On March 11, 1997, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 85 years. Prosecutors were unable to seek the death penalty as it is not permitted by the Navajo Nation.
