11 McGirt-dismissed murder cases now filed as federal charges

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) — Eleven men whose murder convictions in Oklahoma were overturned because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on state jurisdiction in tribal territories have now been charged with federal murder counts.

The U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday that a federal grand jury issued indictments in the cases that had been either reversed by a state appeals court or dismissed by state prosecutors. Those charged include Devin Sizemore, whose conviction and life sentence for the drowning death of his 21-month-old daughter was overturned in April.

The McGirt decision in July 2020 found that Oklahoma lacks jurisdiction for crimes committed on tribal reservations in which the defendants or victims were tribal citizens.