Another round of the Todd Murray case will soon begin, this time with Murray’s family and the Ute Tribe taking on the United States. The Ute Tribe issued a press release this week claiming a victory and stating that the United States Court of Appeals issued a decision to reinstate the Tribe and Jones’ suit over the death of tribal member Todd Murray. Murray was a passenger in a high speed chase in 2007 that ended within the Ute reservation. After the car crashed, the car’s occupants ran including Murray who fired a gun at the pursuing officer before trying to hide and eventually shooting himself in the head. In the years since, Murray’s parents have filed multiple lawsuits and appeals alleging the officers illegally pursued their son onto the reservation, that the officers killed Murray and then made it look like a suicide. Jesse Trentadue, the attorney that represented Uintah County and Vernal City in these cases, says,“The recent decision by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in the Murray case does not apply to Uintah County, Vernal City or their officers. The United States District Court for the District of Utah found that Todd Murray’s death was a suicide, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling. In fact, the opinion issued by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals said that claims against Uintah County, Vernal City and their officers were barred on the basis of res judicata. The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals decision merely holds that the Tribe can now bring the same lawsuit against the United States. The ruling does not mean that the Tribe has won. It merely means that it now can sue the United States.”
