Tribe holds on to suspected nun killer

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (KRQE-KREZ) - FBI agents were in Navajo Nation tribal court again Monday, and again they left without the man accused of bludgeoning a nun to death in her convent residence.

Meanwhile KRQE News 13 has learned the suspect, Reehahlio Carroll, 18, tried to kill himself Friday, the day after he was arrested on a traffic charge.

A federal warrant alleges Carroll killed Sister Marguerite Bartz on Oct. 31 when she surprised him burglarizing her residence in Navajo, N.M. However Navajo Chief Prosecutor Bernadine Martin is not yet willing to hand Carroll over to federal agents.

She told News 13 the feds must follow procedure either through an extradition hearing or an order forcing them to hand Carroll over.

In the past tribal officers would skip the process and simply release suspects to the FBI in a friendly agreement.

"My job is to the Navajo nation," Martin said. "My oath is to the Navajo nation law; my oath is to the government; my oath is to the people.

"It's not to the federal government."

Carroll was back in court Monday morning before a tribal judge who set his bond at $500 on a reckless driving charge.

Navajo police said Carroll committed that traffic violation while on the run in the days after the Bartz murder as he tried to get back to Navajo. Bartz's car apparently was taken after the killing and found abandoned in Arizona several days later.

A source with the Navajo nation told News 13 Carroll attempted to commit suicide on Friday.

He was treated at a local hospital and then brought back to the jail in Window Rock, Ariz., the Navajo capital News 13 was unable to learn how Carroll attempted suicide.

Even if Carroll posts bail on his tribal charge, the FBI said he isn't going anywhere. The FBI issued a federal detainer which will keep Carroll behind bars until agents can pick him up.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office said he had never heard of the Navajo nation playing hardball over handing over a suspect before. The spokesperson couldn't give a time-frame on when the FBI will have Carroll in custody.