A 20-year-old man from McNary was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison after admitting he killed his romantic partner during a violent argument on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Authorities said the fight escalated to the point that Termaine Billy Celaya drove his pickup truck over the victim and then fled, leading officers on a brief pursuit. His guilty plea and sentencing bring to a close a case that first drew federal attention in April 2024.
Sentence and plea
According to KTAR, Celaya pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced on February 5 to 97 months in prison. The conviction followed a federal investigation and a prosecution brought in federal court.
Indictment and investigation
The U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona had previously indicted Celaya on a charge of second‑degree murder in connection with an April 24, 2024, homicide involving a motor vehicle. The FBI and the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department joined the investigation that led to arrests in late 2024.
What prosecutors say
Prosecutors told the court that during the argument Celaya drove his pickup over the victim, then took off, later leading officers on a brief pursuit before he was taken into custody, according to KTAR. That description formed the factual basis for Celaya's voluntary manslaughter plea at the change‑of‑plea hearing.
Legal context
Under federal law, voluntary manslaughter carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison, so the 97‑month term imposed here falls below that cap for the offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1112. The outcome reflects how federal prosecutors sometimes resolve initial murder indictments through pleas to lesser homicide counts when the evidence and negotiations point in that direction, with courts then weighing the Sentencing Guidelines and other 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors.
Local pattern and federal role
Federal authorities have previously handled violent crime prosecutions on the Fort Apache Reservation. In 2018 a McNary man was sentenced to the statutory maximum in a federal manslaughter case for killing his teenage girlfriend, underscoring the federal court's role when killings occur on tribal lands, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The office has said it will continue partnering with tribal and federal investigators on serious violent‑crime investigations.
Celaya remains in federal custody. Court records and sentencing filings are expected to provide more detailed accounts of the government's evidence, the plea agreement and the judge's reasoning, and those public documents will be the primary material for any future appeals or post‑sentence filings.
