Tahlequah Resident Sentenced To Life In Prison For First Degree Murder

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Isaac Newman Sockey, age 39, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was sentenced to life in prison for first degree murder stemming from a fatal knife attack on September 8, 2023, at a Tahlequah residence.

Sockey was found guilty of one count of First Degree Murder in Indian Country on December 12, 2023, following a jury trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.  Sentencing was held July 10, 2024.

According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, on the day of the murder, Sockey retrieved a butterfly knife from his bedroom, placed the knife to the victim’s throat, and threatened the victim in response to a verbal insult.  The victim pushed the knife away and attempted to disarm Sockey.  Sockey then stabbed the victim more than twenty times, including in the neck, head, and torso.   Despite life-saving measures, the victim died from injuries sustained in the attack.

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

The charge arose from investigations by the Tahlequah Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“Senseless tragedies such as this reverberate through our communities, and those who perpetrate these acts must be brought to justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Kaplan of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office.  “The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to preventing violent crime in Indian country by removing offenders like Mr. Sockey from our streets.”

“I want to commend the Tahlequah Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who conducted the investigation, and the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who indicted and prosecuted this case,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.  “Because of their dedication and commitment, Sockey will pay for his vicious and senseless act of violence.”

The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.  Sockey 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 Kevin Gross and Gregory Dean Burris represented the United States.