In a straightforward account of legal proceedings, Joseph Celdon Mullins, a 22-year-old resident of Wewoka, Oklahoma, acknowledged his guilt in federal court. The young man entered a guilty plea to charges including Second Degree Murder in Indian Country and a serious firearms offense. According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the incident in question took place on June 20, 2023.
Mullins’s actions, as detailed in the Information, were premeditated and resulted in the death of the victim through the discharge of a firearm. It's noted that these events unfolded within the historical boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, an area that demands a complex intermingling of tribal and federal jurisprudence. The charges came to light thanks to the collaborative investigative efforts of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police Department, the Seminole Nation Lighthorse Police Department, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
At the helm of these judicial proceedings is The Honorable Gerald L. Jackson, a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Judge Jackson has ordered a presentence investigation report to be completed after accepting Mullins's plea. As is standard in cases where those accused are awaiting sentencing, Mullins will be held in the custody of the United States Marshal Service, as per U.S. Attorney's Office.
The court's actions now set the stage for sentencing, which will conclude this chapter of legal process. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross is the government's representative.
