Federal Murder Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025
In the District of Arizona, 141 people were sentenced for murder in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 141 received a prison term. The median was 228 months (19 years), compared with 240 months across all 94 federal districts. 16 of the 141 received a life sentence.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 › Murder: District of Arizona
In brief: In the District of Arizona, 141 people were sentenced for murder in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 141 received a prison term. The median was 228 months (19 years), compared with 240 months across all 94 federal districts. 16 of the 141 received a life sentence.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 141 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Median Prison Terms and Life Sentences
The median prison term was 228 months. A quarter received 324 months or more, and a quarter received 189 months or less. 16 people received a life sentence.
For all 94 districts, the median was 240 months, and more than 99% of 3,754 people were sent to prison. For all offenses in this district, the median was 9 months. The terms are imposed terms, not time served.
Plea Rate and Trial Terms
Of the 141 people, 123 (87%) pleaded guilty, and 18 were convicted after a trial. Among guilty pleas, 98% had a written plea agreement and 2% did not. For all districts, 78% pleaded guilty.
After a guilty plea, the median prison term was 210 months. After a trial, it was 470 months, based on 18 people convicted at trial and sent to prison. The groups may differ in the charges and facts involved, so the comparison does not show the effect of a trial.
Which Murder Guidelines Applied
"Murder" is the U.S. Sentencing Commission's offense type. The most common primary guideline was §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder), for 107 people. Next was §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder), for 27.
Smaller groups used §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) for 4 and §2A1.5 (Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder) for 3. These cases were less than 1% of the 47,716 people sentenced in the district.
Guideline Range and Mandatory Minimums
The range was recorded for 141 people. Of those, 54% (76) were within it, 24% (34) were below it at the government's request, and 8% (11) were below it without a request. Another 14% (20) were above it.
For all districts, 39% were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 35% were. A mandatory minimum applied to 23 of the 141 people with that information recorded (16%).
Supervised Release, Restitution, and Criminal History
Supervised release was ordered for 135 people (96%), with a median term of 60 months. 2 people (1%) received it for life. Restitution was ordered for 61 (43%), and a fine for 2 (1%).
In criminal history, 55% were in the lowest category I and 6% in the highest (VI). Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Yearly Counts and Medians
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 62 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 79. Yearly counts ranged from 3 in fiscal year 2021 to 20 in fiscal year 2023. Yearly medians ranged from 192 months to 300 months.
With counts this small, a yearly median can move with a few cases, and the records give no reason for any change. Davis-Monthan AFB, Fort Huachuca, Luke AFB, and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma are in this district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 15 | 210 months | 67% |
| 2017 | 17 | 240 months | 94% |
| 2018 | 13 | 300 months | 85% |
| 2019 | 17 | 228 months | 82% |
| 2020 | 10 | 210 months | 90% |
| 2021 | 3 | 192 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2022 | 18 | 207 months | 94% |
| 2023 | 20 | 264 months | 95% |
| 2024 | 13 | 210 months | 77% |
| 2025 | 15 | 240 months | 93% |
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of Arizona (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Arizona") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (141). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Possession Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the District of Arizona, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.