Navajo Tribal Members Sentenced Over 25 Years for 2021 Transgender Woman Murder

Two Navajo Nation tribal members, Isiah Adam Smith and Trevor Joe Begay, were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for the 2021 murder of a transgender woman on the Navajo Nation. Smith received a 27-year sentence, while Begay was sentenced to just over 30 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. The two men had communicated with the victim online, learned of her transgender identity, and decided to "teach the victim a lesson." They lured her under the pretense of a meeting, confiscated her cell phone to prevent her from calling for help, and then drove her into the desert where they beat her to death. The men attempted to conceal their crime by burning their bloody clothes and the victim's cell phone. The case was investigated by the FBI and Navajo Nation authorities, and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona.