Tahlequah Resident Sentenced For Involuntary Manslaughter And Federal Firearm Crime

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Kiah John Pritchett, age 39, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 63 months for one count of Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country, and 63 months for one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.  The terms will run concurrently.

The charges arose from investigations by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On August 15, 2023, Pritchett pleaded guilty to one count of Involuntary Manslaughter, and one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.  According to investigators, on July 4, 2021, Pritchett gave the victim a ride in his vehicle.  An altercation broke out between Pritchett and his passenger along the route.  During the altercation, Pritchett unlawfully shot and killed the victim.

Pritchett, who had previously been convicted of a felony punishable by more than one year imprisonment, was prohibited at the time from possessing a firearm.

The crimes occurred in Cherokee County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

ATF Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Boshek II said, “Our agents worked countless hours in the pursuit of justice for the victim and his family.  ATF is committed to combatting violent crime in our communities no matter how long it takes.  There is no amount of time in federal prison that will bring the victim back.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as we know Pritchett’s time in federal prison won’t ease their pain.”

“I commend the work of law enforcement in compiling an extensive and thorough investigation which allowed the government to prosecute the defendant for unlawfully taking the victim’s life,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.

The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.  Pritchett will remain in 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 United States Attorneys Jarrod Leaman and Patrick Flanigan represented the United States.