TULSA, Okla. (KFOR) – An Oklahoma man is facing a murder conspiracy charge in federal court after his state case was dismissed in March due to the Supreme Court’s McGirt decision.
On Tuesday, 27-year-old Cody Buzzard was charged with conspiracy to murder in Indian Country.
On Aug. 1, 2019, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting near Jay.
Deputies found Jerry Wayne Tapp dead in his front yard from multiple gunshot wounds. Another victim suffered a gunshot wound to her arm.
The victim told investigators that she heard a noise outside the home and thought that Tapp had forgotten his keys. She says she turned on the light and opened the door before feeling a sudden pain in her right wrist.
She says she locked the door and called 911.
Following investigations into online records and shell casings left at scene, officers arrested Buzzard for the crime.
McGirt is a landmark ruling that impacts much of Oklahoma. It states that Native American reservations weren’t disestablished by Congress. That means prosecution of crimes by Native Americans on those lands fall no longer falls to the state but tribal courts and the federal system.
