Man serving life sentence for murder now facing federal charges

Arnold Dean Howell, Jr. was serving life without parole for the murder of a Sapulpa man that occurred during a robbery in 2015, when the McGirt ruling came down. Because Howell is an enrolled tribal member and the crime occurred within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, the state conviction was vacated and ordered dismissed.

The 27-year-old Howell now faces federal charges of murder in the first degree in Indian Country, according to acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.