United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Joseph Lloyd
James, 48, of Norfolk, entered a plea of guilty today in federal court in Omaha
to First Degree Murder in Indian Country.
James murdered Phyllis Hunhoff, of Yankton, South Dakota, on the Santee
Sioux Indian Reservation in Nebraska.
United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher ordered a presentence
investigation report and set sentencing for May 6, 2020 at 10 a.m. in Omaha.
James’s plea agreement mandates a life sentence. As part of his plea agreement, he waives his
right to appeal, to seek a pardon, or commutation.
Phyllis Hunhoff regularly traveled from her home in Yankton
to her mother’s home in Utica, South Dakota.
Her regular practice was to call her mother upon returning to
Yankton. On November 4, 2018, at approximately
10 p.m., Phyllis Hunhoff left her mother’s residence, alone, to drive home to
Yankton. She did not call her mother as
she did not make it home. Having not
heard from her daughter, her mother began repeatedly calling her phone to
determine her whereabouts. All calls
were unanswered.
James and other men were near Phyllis Hunhoff’s mother’s
residence as she was leaving. James and
another man encountered Phyllis Hunhoff outside of the residence and got into
her car with her inside. James, Phyllis
Hunhoff, and another man traveled to Norfolk, Nebraska, arriving at about 11:00
p.m. When they arrived in Norfolk, James
remained in the vehicle, and the other man left the vehicle. James drove Phyllis Hunhoff’s vehicle, with
her inside, to the Santee Sioux Indian Reservation in Knox County, Nebraska.
During the early morning hours of November 5, 2018, while on
the Santee Sioux Indian Reservation, James killed Phyllis Hunhoff. He stabbed her with a knife and strangled
her. She died in her vehicle as a result
of the bleeding and strangulation. James
drove Phyllis Hunhoff’s vehicle to a gas station on the Santee Sioux Indian
Reservation. Video from the gas station
showed James putting gasoline into her vehicle and driving away. Later, James returned in the same vehicle to
the gas station and pumped gasoline into a soda bottle. James put the bottle containing the gasoline
into the vehicle. He then drove to a
wooded location on the Santee Sioux Indian Reservation in Knox County,
Nebraska, where he set fire to Hunhoff’s body and her vehicle to conceal
evidence of the murder. He abandoned the
body and vehicle and left the area.
Law enforcement officers investigated the murder and
obtained evidence, including surveillance footage of James at the gas station
during the early morning hours of November 5, 2018. Santee Police recovered the shirt James was
wearing when he killed Phyllis Hunhoff from a trash receptacle. Her DNA was on James’ shirt. James’s DNA was on clothing Phyllis Hunhoff
was wearing when he killed her.
United States Attorney Joe Kelly expressed his appreciation
for the hard work and cooperation of multiple law enforcement agencies in both
Nebraska and South Dakota. “The quick
and thorough work of these agencies, coupled thereafter with the acquisition of
digital evidence, resulted in holding James accountable for this horrific crime
and tragic loss for the Hunhoff family,” said USA Kelly.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Kristi Johnson added, “The FBI’s
partnership with the Santee Sioux Nation Tribal Police, Knox County Sheriff,
and Nebraska State Patrol were vital to the success of this investigation. So
long as our Native American partners face terrible crimes like this on
reservation land, the FBI stands ready to work alongside them as we together
seek justice for all.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, the Nebraska State Patrol, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Santee
Sioux Nation Tribal Police, Yankton County Sheriff’s Office, Yankton Police
Department (South Dakota), Norfolk Police Department, the University of
Nebraska Medical Center, the Nebraska State Fire Marshal, and the Lincoln
Police Department.
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