A Colorado court sentenced Derrick Begaye on Monday to 48 years to life in prison, the maximum penalty, for the sexual assault of Nicole Redhorse '95. Redhorse died following the assault, which occurred on June 6 and 7, 2007.
Begaye is one of three individuals charged in connection with Redhorse's death. A 24-year-old New Mexico resident, Begaye was convicted in March of sexual assault, abuse of a corpse and misrepresentation of a situation, although he was not found guilty of murder. With a murder conviction, Begaye could have been sentenced to life in prison. The prosecution did not consider pursuing the death penalty.
The other individuals implicated in the crime, Harold Nakai and Carlton Lee Yazzie, will stand trial this summer. Nakai was Redhorse's boyfriend, media accounts of the police report said.
Calls to the prosecutor, La Plata, Colo., district attorney Craig Westberg, were not returned by press time.
Police found Redhorse's body at approximately 5 a.m. June 7 in a room at the Spanish Trails Inn and Suites in Durango, Colo., Nakai and Begaye, when interviewed on scene, told authorities that they gave Redhorse enough alcohol for her to pass out so that they could rape her, according to The Farmington Daily Times' report on the arrest affidavit.
Begaye's trial included testimony from several La Plata County inmates, who said Begaye told them about his involvement in the assault.
Although the alleged murder weapon, a hammer, was found in Yazzie's vehicle, the investigating agents from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation did not collect it or test for DNA, hampering the prosecution's case. The investigators did not realize at the time that it might be the murder weapon.
"I did not see any blood evidence," CBI agent Kirby Lewis said, according to The Durango Herald. "I did not see any fibers or hairs."
One witness also said he saw Redhorse at home on the night of June 6, although this testimony could not be corroborated.
At Dartmouth, Redhorse majored in sociology and minored in economics. A member of Native Americans at Dartmouth and Students for Choice, she also served as a tour guide for the admissions office and participated in the Big Brother Big Sister program, according to alumni records.
