April 25, 2024 - OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Wednesday announced that 52-year-old Jarrett Bleu Rucker, of Alturas, was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison for killing Milton “Yogi” McGarva. In a prosecution led by the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division, a jury found Rucker guilty of first-degree murder on February 27, 2024, determining that Rucker stabbed McGarva to death in Modoc County on March 9, 2020. McGarva was a member of the Pit River Tribe and is a victim of the Missing Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis in California.

“Today, I am thinking of the family of Milton ‘Yogi’ McGarva. I can’t begin to imagine what they have been through these past few years. My team fought hard to secure justice for them, and now, Yogi’s killer will be behind bars for a substantial amount of time,” said Attorney General Bonta. “At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to hold accountable those who terrorize any of our neighborhoods, including our tribal communities that too often are overlooked.”

“To say that I am pleased with the outcome of this case is an understatement," said Modoc County Sheriff Tex Dowdy. "Justice has been done and my hope is that the McGarva family will have some peace with this verdict."

“If it wasn’t for the Attorney General's Office, I don’t think we would have had this moment," said Morning Star Gali, Executive Director of Indigenous Justice. "We are extremely grateful for all of the efforts involved to bring justice for Yogi and his family." 

Since taking office, Attorney General Bonta has not only been listening to California’s tribal communities, tribal leaders, and all of his partners in justice; he has been taking action to address the MMIP crisis in California. He has hosted statewide MMIP events called “Missing in California Indian Country.” These serve as critical public safety events for tribal communities and aim to elevate the state’s response to the MMIP crisis by allowing for loved ones to report an individual missing, receive an update on an active missing person’s case, and/or provide a DNA sample for inclusion in the DOJ’s Missing and Unidentified Persons Database. In addition, Attorney General Bonta has developed a Native American Marsy’s Law Information Card, which informs tribal victims of crime about their rights and availability of culturally informed victim services. He is also supporting Assembly Bill 2695 (AB 2695) by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland). The bill would require law enforcement agencies to collect data on crimes occurring on Indian lands and report that information to DOJ as part of its efforts to address the MMIP crisis.

To learn more about Attorney General Bonta’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis in California, please visit DOJ’s Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA) webpage here. ONAA was established in 2000 and serves as a liaison between DOJ, justice agencies, and California’s tribes to address justice-related issues for the overall improvement of the health, safety, and welfare of tribal citizens.
Source: CA. DOJ