A Nevada man was found guilty Thursday of murdering his pregnant Indigenous woman friend and their unborn child in 2020.
Federal prosecutors on Friday announced the conviction of Michael Burciaga for first-degree murder, violating the Unborn Child Protection Act and domestic violence by a habitual offender. He was found guilty of stabbing his girlfriend Amanda Davis, a registered member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute tribe, multiple times, resulting in the deaths of her and their unborn son, whom she planned to name Ezra.
hundreds of people gathered for a vigil after Davis’ death in December 2020 to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women and domestic violence.
According to a federal investigator affidavit, shortly after midnight on December 15, police responded to a call from Davis’ 15-year-old daughter and reported that her mother had been stabbed to death by her boyfriend at her home on the Pyramid Lake Reservation in Nixon.
When officers and medical personnel arrived, Davis’ three children were taken to the front room of the home and she was found dead in the master bedroom.
Shortly thereafter, Burciaga returned home with cuts on his hands and wrists and told officers, “I know what I did. That’s why I came back,” authorities said.
According to the affidavit, Burciaga questioned officers several times about his girlfriend’s condition and told them she was pregnant with his child.
In an interview with police, Davis’ daughter said her eight-year-old brother woke her around midnight to tell her Burciaga had stabbed her mother, authorities said. The children found their surviving mother in the master bedroom and barricaded the door with a dresser.
Burciaga soon broke through the top half of the door, and Davis grabbed a baseball bat and began slapping his hand to prevent him from entering the room, but he eventually broke through, the affidavit said.
The affidavit states that Davis’ daughter attempted to fend off her mother’s attacker with a lamp but was unsuccessful and that he continued to stab Davis repeatedly.
Burciaga is due to be sentenced on September 25 and faces a minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
According to a GoFundMe fundraiser She was started by a cousin to help financially support Davis’ immediate family and was preparing for the birth of her son in February 2021.
“Amanda was a devoted mother and fought tirelessly to protect her,” the fundraiser reads.
On Friday, a post On Pyramid Lake’s Facebook page, Davis mourned in response to Burciaga’s conviction.
“Missing you every day, Amanda Davis; The community is still mourning your absence. If only we had the chance to meet Ezra,” the post reads. “Your children and family are doing their best and we are proud of their achievements.”
Accordingly Data According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three women has reported experiencing physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner at some point in their lives.
researches of American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians found that 324,000 pregnant women are abused in the United States each year. Homicides are the leading cause of death in pregnant women and in most cases are committed by an intimate partner.
Do you need help? In the US, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). National Domestic Violence Hotline.
