Two men plead guilty in two separate, unrelated murders

TULSA, Okla. — Two men have pleaded guilty this week in federal court in two unrelated murder cases in Mayes and Craig Counties, according to U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

On Wednesday, 32-year-old Daren Gilson Puffinbarger pleaded guilty to second degree murder in Indian Country. Puffinbarger shot Muscogee Nation citizen Lucas Sanders in the head six times while Sanders lay in bed. Puffinbarger then set fire to the victim’s body.

Puffinbarger shot Sanders to death and lit his body on fire on Aug. 18, 2021. Agents found two small propane torch kits in Sanders’ bedroom, one on the bed and the other sitting upright on the floor next to the bed. These kits were used to start the fires.

The FBI, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and Mayes County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn A. McCormick is prosecuting the case.

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In a separate, unrelated murder case, Johnny Lee Arnold, 34, pleaded guilty to second degree murder in Indian Country on Tuesday. In a plea agreement, Arnold admitted that on Aug. 19, 2019, he killed Cherokee Nation citizen Christopher Boren by stabbing him 17 times. Boren’s body was found near 350 Road and 4430 Road in Craig County.

The FBI, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Mayes County Sheriff’s Office and Craig County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Brasher is prosecuting the case.

“Federal prosecutors, victim specialists and law enforcement are committed to fully investigating violent crimes that occur within Indian Country and to supporting victims and their families as we seek justice on their behalf,” said Johnson.

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