A member of Lummi Nation has been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 51 months in prison for Assault by Strangulation.
Joseph Michael Quincy Jefferson, 36, was found guilty in January 2025 following a seven-day jury trial.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Lauren King noted that Jefferson had multiple domestic violence-related convictions in tribal court, saying, “Your abuse of others has become a pattern… You return to strangulation again and again.”
“This case is testament to the importance of our work in tribal communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “Studies reveal that being a victim of strangulation significantly increases the risk the victim will be killed at the hands of their abuser. Holding Mr. Jefferson accountable now is the best way to protect future victims.”
According to records filed in the case and testimony at trial, on the night of April 8, 2023, Jefferson punched, pushed, and strangled his live-in partner.
Sitting on her back, he used the crook of his elbow to apply pressure to her neck, strangling her and causing her to black out twice. When the victim regained consciousness, she ran from the home barefoot and in her underwear, calling a friend and a neighbor requesting help.
The victim went to the Lummi Nation Police Department and to the hospital, where she made consistent statements to police and medical care providers. She was found to have a broken nose and other injuries consistent with strangulation.
At trial, Jefferson claimed he acted in self-defense. During her testimony, the victim minimized Jefferson’s conduct.
In asking for a high-end 57-month sentence, Assistant United States Attorney Celia Lee recounted Jefferson’s history of domestic violence with his two romantic partners and noted that shorter sentences handed down by the Lummi Tribal Court have not changed his behavior.
Jefferson has been in custody since his bond was revoked in late October 2024 due to his ongoing contact with the victim in violation of his conditions of pretrial release. He remains in custody pending sentencing.
