Clyde "Sonny Jim" James was a Modoc and Klamath cowboy, rodeo competitor, musician, and storyteller known across Indian Country. In October 2009, he was shot and killed near San Rafael, New Mexico. It took 16 years for his killer to be sentenced.
Born Clyde Shacknasty James in Oregon in 1940, Sonny Jim was an enrolled Klamath tribal member of Modoc descent who married into the Navajo Nation. He toured with the Harlem Globetrotters in exhibition games and later performed Native American and country western music with his band, Sonny Jim & the Renegades, including as a backup musician for Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. He began his rodeo career on the Navajo Nation and competed for decades, still steer wrestling well into his later years.
On October 23, 2009, Sonny Jim and his longtime friend Wayne Johnson were shot and killed following a dispute over a property fence in Cibola County, New Mexico. A third man survived being shot at during the same incident. Danny Stanfield was charged with murder shortly after, but the case was delayed for years, including a period when Stanfield was found incompetent to stand trial and committed to the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute.
Sonny Jim's daughter, Sonlatsa "Sunshine" Jim, spent 16 years pushing for her father's case to reach trial. In February 2026, the trial finally began in Cibola County. Prosecutors played the 911 call Sonny Jim made in his final moments as evidence. In May 2026, Danny Stanfield was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the murders, plus 9 to 15 years for the non-fatal shooting of the third victim.
Sonlatsa continues to honor her father's legacy and has said she hopes to one day help build a memorial and museum in Gallup celebrating his life and career. Her advocacy throughout the 16-year wait reflects the kind of persistence AdvocacyCon exists to support — proof that even the longest-delayed cases can still reach justice.