An Idabel man, Zachary Carlton Ty Capps, 29, has been sentenced for charges including second-degree murder and federal firearms offenses, spanning a total of 330 months in prison. The announcement comes from the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, detailing that Capps' admission of guilt in September led up to this long-term incarceration.
The charges against Capps are rooted in a violent incident on November 15, 2022, when he fatally used a .44 caliber revolver to shoot the victim in the head. The investigation, undertaken by numerous agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, solidified the basis for the severe sentencing handed down by U.S. District Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales. With a consecutive stint, the sentence for murder will proceed the one for firearms charges, as stated in a press release on United States Attorney's Office.
Capps' crimes, occurring within the jurisdictional bounds of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, bring a heavier weight due to the intertwining of federal and tribal law. Held in Muskogee, Oklahoma, by Judge Gonzales—sitting by assignment—the court session reflected the gravity of these types of crimes within Indian Country, as reported by the United States Attorney’s Office.
Awaiting his transport to a federal prison, Capps remains under the custody of the U.S. Marshal. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin D. Traster, representing the government, secured the non-paroleable sentence.
