On a summer evening in Montezuma Creek, Utah, a gathering between friends turned tragic, ending the life of 31-year-old Anthony John Judy. The fatal encounter occurred on August 28, 2015, during a period of heavy alcohol consumption between Judy and his friend, 25-year-old Raymus Sheldon Whitehorse. Both men were members of the Navajo Nation.
The evening began with Whitehorse arriving at Judy's residence armed with a 9 mm handgun, which he placed on a shelf.
As the two men continued to drink, a disagreement erupted and quickly escalated into a physical fight. The altercation spilled outside, where Judy reportedly gained control of the firearm. He used the weapon to strike Whitehorse in the head multiple times before the gun fell to the ground.
The fight seemed to subside for a moment as Judy started to walk away. However, the brief pause in the violence was shattered when Whitehorse picked up the discarded handgun and fired a single shot. The bullet struck Anthony John Judy in the chest, inflicting a mortal wound.
Following the shooting, Raymus Sheldon Whitehorse was arrested and faced federal charges due to the crime occurring on tribal land. A federal grand jury indicted him for manslaughter within Indian Country in September 2015. Whitehorse ultimately pleaded guilty to the charge in U.S. District Court. In December 2016, he was sentenced to 63 months in prison, to be followed by a three-year term of probation upon his release.
