Man murders person he thought snitched on his crimes, leaves her on Indian reservation

A Washington man brutally murdered a woman he believed snitched to police about an assault.

Jordan Everett Stevens was convicted by a federal jury earlier this month of first-degree murder, according to federal prosecutors. He faces life in prison and will be sentenced at a later date.

On April 30, 2019, Stevens assaulted a woman in Toppenish, Washington, according to prosecutors. A witness spoke to the police officers who responded to the assault.

But, prosecutors said, Stevens mistakenly believed the witness told police about the crime.

On May 3, Stevens and two other women took the witness to a remote area of a Washington Native America reservation. There, Stevens murdered the witness by shooting her in the head.

Federal prosecutors did not release the victim’s name, but they noted she was a Native American.

Stevens threatened to kill the other two women the same way he killed the witness if they told anyone about the murder, prosecutors noted.

The witness’ family reported the victim was missing and immediately contacted the FBI.

An investigation started and agents found one of the two women who drove with Stevens. She told police about the killing and the second woman verified the story of the murder.

“Too often, violence on the reservation results in the tragic and senseless loss of life,” said Donald M. Voiret, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle Field Office. “The FBI is committed to combatting crime on our state’s reservations. Stevens will have the rest of his life in prison to contemplate his choices.”