The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado has announced that Jeremiah Hight, a 23-year-old resident of Towaoc, Colorado, faces federal charges. A grand jury indicted Hight on one count of second-degree murder of a child in Indian Country and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Hight was initially charged following a criminal complaint authorized by Magistrate Judge James Candelaria on December 19, 2024. He was apprehended on the Navajo Reservation on December 24, 2024, and made his first court appearance in the District of Arizona two days later. Authorities are currently transporting him to the District of Colorado.
According to both the complaint and indictment, Hight allegedly fired a rifle twenty-four times into a residence during the early hours of December 11, 2024. This incident resulted in the death of a seven-year-old member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Towaoc, Colorado, located on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation. The investigation into this case is still ongoing.
It is important to note that all charges mentioned in the indictment are allegations at this stage. The defendant remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are conducting investigations into this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Jeffrey K. Graves, R. Josh Player, and Lisa Franceware are handling the prosecution.
Case Number: 25-cr-0003-GPG