Arizona man sentenced in federal murder case

PHOENIX — A man from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 10 years for a 2020 murder, according to the US Attorney’s Office.

Clifton Nez Hamalowa, 47, murdered his victim on Aug. 29, 2020, on reservation land belonging to the Gila River Indian Community, authorities said.

Hamalowa had become angry with the victim the evening before and committed the murder by shooting them multiple times in the head in front of the victim’s young child.

He then dumped the victim’s body in a remote area of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation, and while he hid the body, his brother and sister worked to hide the evidence.

His brother, Thomas Leon Hamalowa, disposed of the victim’s car in Parker, which is around 30 miles south of Lake Havasu City. He pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder after the fact and was sentenced to nine years in prison on Oct. 23, 2023.

Hamalowa and his sister, Devonne Beth Hamalowa, spent the next two weeks intimidating witnesses, authorities said.

While her brothers were hiding evidence, his sister made the victim’s daughter clean the blood from the crime scene. The child was still living in the victim’s home at this time, and one of the witnesses alerted the Gila River Police Department of the situation, asking officers rescue the child.

Devonne Beth Hamalowa pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder after the fact and was sentenced to seven years in prison on April 1, 2024.

After a seven-day trial, a federal jury found Hamalowa guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury and discharging a firearm during, in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence.

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