MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Two men were sentenced for their roles in a 2019 Pittsburg County homicide, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
On May 4, 50-year-old Jimmy Nace of Pittsburg County was sentenced to 180 months for murder in Indian Country – second degree.
44-year-old Matthew Vermillion of Pittsburg County was sentenced to 102 months for accessory after the fact on March 27.
On July 3, 2019, Nace assaulted the victim and, together with Vermillion and a third person, took the victim to a rural cemetery in Vermillion’s truck, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said once at the cemetery, Nace and the third person killed the victim. Afterwards, Nace lit the victim's body on fire.
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The Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) said the victim was 49-year-old Bob Dalpaos of Haileyville.
In 2019, PCSO said Tyler Morgan was arrested in connection to the homicide, along with Nace and Vermillon.
Morgan, who was in the Army at the time, was tried in a military court, according to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).
JBLM said on May 19, 2020, Morgan was found guilty of accessory after the fact to aggravated assault, conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice, false official statement and attempted murder.
Morgan was sentenced "to be confined for 126 months" and was dishonorably discharged in 2020, JBLM said.
This case was investigated by the PCSO, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Command at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State and the FBI.
“The cooperative efforts of county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies investigating this horrible crime resulted in the defendants being prosecuted and imprisoned for their actions,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.
“Today’s sentencing holds both defendants accountable for the callous and brutal murder of an innocent man,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “We hope it will bring a sense of closure to the victim’s family, while affirming the FBI’s commitment to pursuing justice for those affected by violence.”
This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma because the victim was the member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crime occurred within the Choctaw Nation Reservation and the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
