In the winter of 1987, a 36-year-old Navajo Tribal Police Officer, Andy Begay, met a tragic and violent end. On the night of December 5th, he and his partner, Officer Roy Lee Stanley, were investigating a report of a party with alcohol being served in a remote area of the Navajo Indian Reservation. This routine call would tragically be their last.
The two officers were shot and killed in the line of duty.
Following their murders, their bodies were placed in a patrol vehicle which was then driven to a desolate location near Lake Powell known as Copper Canyon. There, the vehicle and the officers' bodies were set on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence. The charred remains were discovered the following day, still smoldering inside the burned-out police vehicle.
An extensive multi-agency investigation was launched, involving the Navajo Division of Public Safety, the FBI, and other local law enforcement. The investigation led to the identification and arrest of four suspects: Thomas Cly, Vinton Bedonie, Ben Atene, Jr., and Marques Atene. The evidence presented during the subsequent trial painted a grim picture of the officers' final moments, detailing a confrontation at the bonfire party that escalated to murder.
Ultimately, two of the suspects, Thomas Cly and Vinton Bedonie, were convicted for the first-degree murders of both Officer Andy Begay and Officer Roy Lee Stanley. They were also found guilty on charges related to using a firearm during a crime of violence. Both men were sentenced to prison for their roles in the brutal slayings that cut short the lives of two dedicated officers. Officer Begay, a 12-year veteran of the force assigned to the Kayenta District, was survived by his wife and four children.
