United States v. Bullcoming ( 2022 )


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  • Appellate Case: 20-6125     Document: 010110628115       Date Filed: 01/06/2022    Page: 1
    FILED
    United States Court of Appeals
    PUBLISH                                Tenth Circuit
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                        January 6, 2022
    Christopher M. Wolpert
    FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT                           Clerk of Court
    _________________________________
    UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
    Plaintiff - Appellee,
    v.                                                          No. 20-6125
    TOMMY DEAN BULLCOMING,
    Defendant - Appellant.
    _________________________________
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Western District of Oklahoma
    (D.C. No. 5:18-CR-00086-G-1)
    _________________________________
    Howard A. Pincus, Assistant Federal Public Defender (Virginia L. Grady, Federal Public
    Defender, with him on the briefs), Denver, Colorado, for Defendant – Appellant.
    Steven W. Creager, Assistant United States Attorney (Mark R. Stoneman, Assistant
    United States Attorney, and Robert J. Troester, Acting United States Attorney, with him
    on the brief), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for Plaintiff – Appellee.
    _________________________________
    Before McHUGH, MURPHY, and CARSON, Circuit Judges.
    _________________________________
    McHUGH, Circuit Judge.
    _________________________________
    Linda Zotigh of Hammon, Oklahoma was murdered and her trailer, in which
    her boyfriend Tommy Dean Bullcoming also periodically resided, was set on fire.
    The day after law enforcement found Ms. Zotigh’s body, they arrested
    Appellate Case: 20-6125    Document: 010110628115        Date Filed: 01/06/2022      Page: 2
    Mr. Bullcoming pursuant to a warrant for failure to appear in court on an earlier
    marijuana possession charge. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Bullcoming had a black
    duffel bag in his possession, and he asked law enforcement to bring the bag with
    them during his transport to the courthouse. Law enforcement searched the bag on
    three separate occasions and used information from these searches in the affidavit
    filed in support of the search warrant.
    Following issuance of a search warrant, law enforcement found a pair of
    sandals spotted with blood inside the bag. Authorities later matched the blood to
    Ms. Zotigh. Prior to his trial, Mr. Bullcoming moved both for an order to access
    Ms. Zotigh’s trailer and to suppress evidence from the duffel bag. The district court
    denied both motions. A jury ultimately convicted Mr. Bullcoming of felony murder,
    kidnapping, carjacking, and arson. On appeal, Mr. Bullcoming challenges the denial
    of both of his motions. For the following reasons, we affirm the district court’s denial
    of Mr. Bullcoming’s motions and affirm his convictions.
    I. BACKGROUND
    A. Factual History
    Ms. Zotigh and Mr. Bullcoming—both members of federally recognized Indian
    tribes—had an on-again-off-again romantic relationship for approximately two years,
    beginning in 2015 and ending with her death. They broke up frequently, most often
    fighting about Mr. Bullcoming’s drinking and drug use. When they were together,
    Mr. Bullcoming lived at Ms. Zotigh’s trailer located on Indian trust land in Hammon,
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    Oklahoma. However, Ms. Zotigh did not permit Mr. Bullcoming to stay in the trailer
    when she was traveling.
    In June 2017, Mr. Bullcoming and Ms. Zotigh were arrested following the
    discovery of marijuana in Ms. Zotigh’s vehicle. Consequently, they were both scheduled
    to appear in tribal court in Concho, Oklahoma on September 7, 2017 at 10:30 a.m.
    On August 31, 2017, Ms. Zotigh traveled to Arizona with her adult son, Timothy
    Raya, to attend a tribal intramural basketball tournament. Because she would be away for
    the weekend, she asked her cousins, Wendell and Chris Johnson, if Mr. Bullcoming could
    stay with them at their nearby house instead of in her trailer. The Johnsons agreed, and
    Mr. Bullcoming arrived with a trash bag of clothes and his wallet to spend the weekend at
    their home. During the course of her trip, Ms. Zotigh broke up with Mr. Bullcoming.
    After she returned from Arizona, she asked Wendell Johnson to tell Mr. Bullcoming “to
    come get his belongings” because “she didn’t want him there no [sic] more.” ROA Vol. 4
    at 396–97.
    On September 6, 2017, shortly before midnight, volunteer firefighter Colin Candy
    noticed Ms. Zotigh’s trailer on fire. Mr. Candy returned home, woke his wife, and told
    her to call dispatch to report the fire, which she did at 11:53 p.m. Mr. Candy then met
    firefighter Timothy Williams at the fire station and drove the fire truck to Ms. Zotigh’s
    trailer. After they extinguished the fire, the men entered the trailer and saw what appeared
    to be blood on the walls and subfloor of the hallway.
    At around 2:00 a.m. on September 7, Special Agent Micah Ware of the Bureau of
    Indian Affairs (“BIA”) received a call advising him of the fire at Ms. Zotigh’s trailer.
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    When Agent Ware arrived at the scene, he conducted a brief search of the trailer to
    confirm Ms. Zotigh was not inside. He took photographs and swabs of blood splatter in
    the kitchen area. He also observed blood in Ms. Zotigh’s car and took swabs from the
    driver’s seat and middle portion of the car. At 3:30 p.m., Agent Ware released the trailer
    to Ms. Zotigh’s family.
    At approximately 6:00 p.m. that same day, Agent Ware discovered Ms. Zotigh’s
    body in a field of tall grass several yards off a dirt road. Her mouth was covered in duct
    tape as was one of her wrists. She had close to seventy knife wounds and one had severed
    her jugular vein.
    On the evening of September 6, prior to Ms. Zotigh’s murder, Mr. Bullcoming
    was at the Johnsons’ house about two-hundred feet from Ms. Zotigh’s trailer. At some
    point, Mr. Bullcoming left without being seen by either of the Johnson brothers.
    Mr. Bullcoming was not around when the Johnsons discovered the fire at Ms. Zotigh’s
    trailer, and he never came back to their house.
    At around 11:45 p.m. that night, Mr. Bullcoming arrived at the home of his aunt,
    Mary Miles, and her daughter, Jamie Highwalker. He asked Ms. Highwalker for a ride to
    Concho in time for his court date the next morning. Because Ms. Highwalker could not
    take him to Concho, she took Mr. Bullcoming to Elk City where they stopped at Hutch’s
    Convenience Store so Mr. Bullcoming could buy beer before heading to the home of their
    cousin, John Standingwater. Surveillance footage from Hutch’s Convenience Store
    showed “what appeared to be blood on [Mr. Bullcoming’s] right palm and left ring finger
    area.” ROA Vol. 3 at 20–21. Mr. Bullcoming spent the night at Mr. Standingwater’s
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    home. At Mr. Standingwater’s home, Mr. Bullcoming picked up a black duffel bag he
    had left there following a previous visit.
    From there, Mr. Bullcoming continued to try and make his way to Concho. The
    evening of September 7, Mr. Bullcoming and his cousin, Seger Williams, arrived at
    Robert Buckman’s house in El Reno and asked if they could spend the night.
    Mr. Buckman agreed to let them sleep in his living room. Agent Ware and other officers
    tracked Mr. Bullcoming to Mr. Buckman’s home, arriving at around 3:00 a.m. on
    September 8. Because he missed his September 7 court date, the officers arrested
    Mr. Bullcoming on a warrant for failure to appear in tribal court.
    Mr. Bullcoming asked the officers to bring his black duffel bag with them. Later,
    Mr. Bullcoming asked Agent Ware to retrieve his medication from one of the pockets of
    the duffel bag. When Agent Ware did not immediately find the medication, he emptied
    the contents of the bag onto the floor. He observed numerous items including clothing
    and shoes but did not find the medication. Agent Ware then put the items back into the
    bag, shut it, and put the bag in the back of his vehicle. The bag remained undisturbed in
    Agent Ware’s truck throughout the weekend.
    Three days later, on Monday, September 11, Agent Ware logged the duffel bag
    into an evidence “pod” where it remained. ROA Vol. 4 at 931. Agent Ware
    acknowledged that under BIA procedures he should have logged the bag at the end of his
    shift, on September 8. At that time, however, he had been awake for over twenty-four
    hours and thought the circumstances warranted an exception. After logging the bag on
    September 11, Agent Ware then inventoried and took photographs of its contents. During
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    that search, Agent Ware found Mr. Bullcoming’s medication but did not deliver it to him.
    On September 18, an Assistant United States Attorney indicated the prosecution would
    seek a search warrant for the bag, prompting Agent Ware to conduct a second and more
    thorough inventory search of the duffel bag and to create a list of the items inside. During
    this search, he observed what he thought was possible blood on a pair of sandals.
    On November 1, 2017, a federal magistrate judge issued a search warrant for
    Mr. Bullcoming’s bag. Agent Ware’s affidavit in support of the application provided a
    detailed list of the contents of the bag as well as a statement that “[d]uring a more
    thorough inventory of [Mr. Bullcoming’s] black bag on September 18” he discovered
    “what appeared to be possible red/bloody spots on a pair of gray size 13 Jordan slippers.”
    ROA Vol. 3 at 20–21. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations later determined the
    blood on the sandals was Ms. Zotigh’s. In addition, the affidavit described
    Mr. Bullcoming’s and Ms. Zotigh’s recent breakup and the bloody nature of the crime.
    Specifically, the affidavit described: (1) “fresh blood” found in Ms. Zotigh’s vehicle and
    “within the residence,” (2) a bloody tissue box discovered near Ms. Zotigh’s body, and
    (3) “multiple apparent stab wounds” on Ms. Zotigh’s body. ROA Vol. 3 at 17, 19. The
    affidavit also described blood on Mr. Bullcoming’s person and clothes including:
    (1) “what appeared to be several cuts and/or scrapes on [Mr. Bullcoming’s] arms, hands,
    and legs”; (2) a description of blood observed on Mr. Bullcoming’s belt; and (3) from
    surveillance footage, “what appeared to be blood on [Mr. Bullcoming’s] right palm and
    left ring finger area,” at Hutch’s convenience store. Id. at 20–21. Finally the affidavit
    provided additional circumstantial evidence tying Mr. Bullcoming to the murder
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    including: (1) a statement from Wendell and Chris Johnson that Mr. Bullcoming had left
    their home that evening and had not returned, (2) a statement from Ms. Zotigh’s daughter
    that her mother and Mr. Bullcoming often visited the location where Ms. Zotigh’s body
    was found, and (3) a statement from a witness that she may have observed
    Mr. Bullcoming driving Ms. Zotigh’s car at a “high rate of speed” the evening of the
    murder. Id. at 17–22.
    B. Procedural History
    A federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Western District of
    Oklahoma indicted Mr. Bullcoming on charges of first-degree premeditated murder,
    first-degree felony murder, carjacking resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in death,
    and arson. Mr. Bullcoming pleaded not guilty.
    Prior to trial, Mr. Bullcoming filed a motion for an order permitting access to
    Ms. Zotigh’s trailer. Mr. Bullcoming argued defense counsel would be able to obtain
    forensic evidence and important ceremonial items that he claimed to have left in the
    trailer, which would support Mr. Bullcoming’s argument that he would not have
    incinerated the trailer with his ceremonial items inside. Mr. Bullcoming cited his Sixth
    Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel in support of his motion. The district
    court found it did not have authority “to order entry and inspection of property that is not
    within the government’s possession, custody, or control,” and denied Mr. Bullcoming’s
    motion for access to the trailer. ROA Vol. 1 at 211.
    Mr. Bullcoming also moved to suppress the evidence from his duffel bag,
    specifically, the sandals flecked with Ms. Zotigh’s blood. According to Mr. Bullcoming,
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    the information about the bag’s contents provided by Agent Ware in the affidavit for the
    search warrant was unconstitutionally obtained and therefore tainted the warrant, making
    the search illegal. The district court held that “the affidavit contains enough evidence to
    support probable cause to search Defendant’s black bag and its contents, even after
    excising all information concerning the contents for the reason that it may have been
    derived from an illegal search.” Id. at 533. The district court found that while the
    description of the blood on the sandals “certainly bolster[ed] the finding of probable
    cause” the evidence was not necessary to establish probable cause in light of the other
    evidence presented in the affidavit including: (1) the blood on Mr. Bullcoming’s hand
    shown in the surveillance video, (2) the scrapes and cuts on Mr. Bullcoming’s body at the
    time of his arrest, (3) the blood on Mr. Bullcoming’s belt, and (4) the fact
    Mr. Bullcoming had the black duffel bag with him when arrested and requested that law
    enforcement bring it with them. Id. The district court also held the evidence was
    admissible because authorities would have inevitably discovered it even if Agent Ware’s
    inventory searches were unconstitutional. The district court therefore denied the motion
    to suppress.
    A jury ultimately found Mr. Bullcoming guilty of first-degree felony murder,
    carjacking resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in death, and arson. Following his
    sentencing, Mr. Bullcoming filed a timely notice of appeal.
    II. DISCUSSION
    On appeal, Mr. Bullcoming challenges the district court’s denial of both his
    motion to access Ms. Zotigh’s trailer and his motion to suppress evidence obtained
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    from his duffel bag. We address each motion in turn and affirm the district court’s
    denial of both motions.
    A. Motion to Access Trailer
    We first turn to Mr. Bullcoming’s challenge regarding his motion to access
    Ms. Zotigh’s trailer. Mr. Bullcoming argued to the district court that access to the
    trailer would allow him to examine forensic evidence and find emotionally
    significant ceremonial items in support of his defense that he would not have
    intentionally burned down the trailer. At the time Mr. Bullcoming filed his motion, a
    third party, not the Government, possessed Ms. Zotigh’s trailer. The district court
    ultimately held it did not have authority “to order entry and inspection of property that is
    not within the government’s possession, custody, or control,” and denied
    Mr. Bullcoming’s motion for an order to access the trailer. Id. at 208–14.
    On appeal, Mr. Bullcoming does not address whether the district court had
    authority to order the requested access. Instead, he argues “the district court intruded
    on [his] due-process right to a fair trial, as well as the ability of his attorneys to
    provide the effective representation required by the Sixth Amendment, by denying
    him access to the trailer.” Aplt. Br. at 61. We review the district court’s denial of
    Mr. Bullcoming’s motion de novo. United States v. W.R. Grace, 
    526 F.3d 499
    , 505
    (9th Cir. 2008) (“a district court’s rulings on the scope of its authority to order
    discovery under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 16” are reviewed de novo).
    Because we agree with the district court that it lacked authority to grant the requested
    access, we affirm the district court’s denial of Mr. Bullcoming’s motion.
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    There is “no general constitutional right to discovery in a criminal case.”
    Weatherford v. Bursey, 
    429 U.S. 545
    , 559 (1977). However, under Federal Rule of
    Criminal Procedure 16, a district court may regulate discovery and may “for good cause
    . . . grant other appropriate relief.” Fed. R. Crim. P. 16(d)(1). Before the district court,
    Mr. Bullcoming argued this language gave the court authority to grant him access to
    Ms. Zotigh’s trailer. We agree with the district court that it did not.
    Mr. Bullcoming has pointed us to no support for the proposition that a federal
    court has authority to order access to the property of a third party for purposes of
    discovery in a criminal case. While no federal appellate courts appear to have addressed
    this issue, the federal district courts that have considered it have declined to grant such
    authority. See, e.g., United States v. Hawk, No. CR 12-50044-JLV, 
    2013 WL 773908
    , at
    *2 n.1 (D.S.D. Feb. 28, 2013) (unpublished) (“The defendant has not presented any case
    law, nor is this court aware of any case law within the Eighth Circuit, which supports an
    absolute constitutional right to enter a private residence not in control of the government
    in order to view the scene of the charged offense.”); United States v. Bryant, No.
    8:08CR377, 
    2009 WL 3229756
    , at *1–2 (D. Neb. Oct. 5, 2009) (unpublished) (denying
    the defendant’s motion for leave to inspect the premises of a nonparty). Although
    Mr. Bullcoming is correct that there are some states that appear to allow for this kind of
    discovery,1 see, e.g., State v. Tetu, 
    386 P.3d 844
    , 857 (Hawaii 2016) and
    1
    While some states do permit criminal defendants to access third-party
    property under state constitutions, others do not. See, e.g., People In Interest of E.G.,
    
    368 P.3d 946
    , 954 (Colo. 2016) (holding “neither the United States Constitution, the
    Colorado Rules of Criminal Procedure, nor any statute provides the trial court with
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    Henshaw v. Commonwealth, 451 S.Ed.3d 415, 419 (Va. App. 1994), these cases rely
    upon state constitutions with broader discovery rights for defendants, not the United
    States Constitution. In addition, it is recognized that Rule 16 does not require the
    Government to “take action to discover information which it does not possess,” United
    States v. Tierney, 
    947 F.2d 854
    , 864 (8th Cir. 1991), nor is the Government required to
    secure information from third parties. United States v. Gatto, 
    763 F.2d 1040
    , 1048 (9th
    Cir. 1985).
    On appeal, Mr. Bullcoming argues his “due-process right to a fair trial and his
    Sixth Amendment right to the effective assistance of counsel” were infringed because he
    was not permitted access to the trailer. Aplt. Br. at 59. However, in support of this
    argument, Mr. Bullcoming points only to the same inapplicable state cases as discussed
    supra. And we find no support under the United States Constitution or federal statutes to
    support Mr. Bullcoming’s arguments. Indeed, allowing such discovery would collide
    with a panoply of federal constitutional rights held by the third-party owner of the
    property.2
    the authority to grant access to [a] private home without . . .consent”); State v. Lee,
    
    929 N.W.2d 432
    , 440 (Minn. 2019) (holding that Minnesota discovery rules “do[] not
    require the State to allow a defendant to inspect a crime scene that is in control of a
    third party”).
    2
    Even if Mr. Bullcoming had obtained access to the trailer, it is unlikely it
    would have advanced the defense. The trailer had been left open to the elements and
    trespassers for many months after the murder. To the extent any forensic evidence
    remained, it would be compromised and there was no way to assure that anything that
    might be found in the trailer was there at the time of the crime.
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    Because the district court lacked the authority to grant Mr. Bullcoming access to
    Ms. Zotigh’s trailer and because Mr. Bullcoming failed to substantiate his constitutional
    claims, we affirm the district court’s denial of Mr. Bullcoming’s motion.
    B. Motion to Suppress
    We next turn to the district court’s denial of Mr. Bullcoming’s motion to
    suppress. Because the district court denied Mr. Bullcoming’s motion to suppress, “we
    accept the district court’s findings of fact unless they are clearly erroneous.” United
    States v. Gandara-Salinas, 
    327 F.3d 1127
    , 1129 (10th Cir. 2003). However, “[t]he
    ultimate determination of reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment is a
    conclusion of law that we review de novo.” 
    Id.
    On appeal, Mr. Bullcoming challenges two of the three searches undertaken by
    Agent Ware—the first on Monday, September 11, and the second on Monday,
    September 18. Mr. Bullcoming argues these searches were illegal, and therefore the
    affidavit Agent Ware submitted in support of the application for a search warrant—
    which contained information obtained from these searches—tainted the warrant and
    the ultimate search of the bag. He argues the district court should therefore have
    suppressed the evidence collected from his duffel bag, specifically, the forensic blood
    evidence from the sandals.
    Ultimately, the district court did not decide whether either of Agent Ware’s
    searches were reasonable. Instead, the district court excised the description of the
    bloody sandals from the affidavit and concluded, “the affidavit contains enough
    evidence to support probable cause to search Defendant’s black bag and its contents,
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    even after excising all information concerning the contents for the reason that it may
    have been derived from an illegal search.” ROA Vol. 1 at 533. The district court
    therefore denied Mr. Bullcoming’s motion to suppress.
    We agree with the district court that it is immaterial whether Agent Ware’s
    searches on September 11 and September 18 were illegal; the affidavit in support of
    the search warrant contained enough information to establish probable cause even
    without the information obtained from those searches. “When a warrant is tainted by
    some unconstitutionally obtained information, we nonetheless uphold the warrant if there
    was probable cause absent that information.” United States v. Sims, 
    428 F.3d 945
    , 954
    (10th Cir. 2005). Said in another way, “[a]n affidavit containing erroneous or
    unconstitutionally obtained information invalidates a warrant if that information was
    critical to establishing probable cause. If, however, the affidavit contained sufficient
    accurate or untainted evidence, the warrant is nevertheless valid.” 
    Id.
     (quotation marks
    omitted).
    Probable cause is a “flexible, common-sense standard,” and we therefore “must
    interpret the Government’s affidavit in a flexible, common-sense way.” United States v.
    Biglow, 
    562 F.3d 1272
    , 1282 (10th Cir. 2009) (quoting Illinois v. Gates, 
    462 U.S. 213
    ,
    239 (1983)). “An affidavit establishes probable cause for a search warrant if the totality
    of the information it contains establishes the fair probability that contraband or evidence
    of a crime will be found in a particular place.” United States v. Barajas, 
    710 F.3d 1102
    ,
    1108 (10th Cir. 2013) (quotation marks omitted). We review de novo the question of
    whether there was probable cause presented by the affidavit even without the information
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    from the challenged searches. United States v. Loera, 
    923 F.3d 907
    , 914–15 (10th Cir.
    2019). Excising the information included from the challenged searches, we conclude the
    affidavit established probable cause to support the search warrant for Mr. Bullcoming’s
    bag.
    The affidavit described Mr. Bullcoming’s and Ms. Zotigh’s fraught relationship,
    recent breakup, and the nature of the crime—including the amount of blood found in
    Ms. Zotigh’s car and trailer. Specifically, the affidavit detailed the “fresh blood” found in
    Ms. Zotigh’s vehicle and “within the residence,” a bloody tissue box discovered near
    Ms. Zotigh’s body, and Ms. Zotigh’s body which had suffered “multiple apparent stab
    wounds.” ROA Vol. 3 at 17, 19. Importantly, the affidavit also described “what appeared
    to be several cuts and/or scrapes on [Mr. Bullcoming’s] arms, hands, and legs,” blood
    observed on Mr. Bullcoming’s belt, and from surveillance footage, “what appeared to be
    blood on [Mr. Bullcoming’s] right palm and left ring finger area.” 
    Id.
     at 20–21. The
    affidavit provided additional circumstantial evidence tying Mr. Bullcoming to the murder
    including: (1) a statement from Wendell and Chris Johnson that Mr. Bullcoming had left
    their home that evening and had not returned, (2) a statement from Ms. Zotigh’s daughter
    that her mother and Mr. Bullcoming often went to the location where Ms. Zotigh’s body
    was found, and (3) a statement from a witness that she may have observed
    Mr. Bullcoming driving Ms. Zotigh’s car at a “high rate of speed”—she estimated she
    was 20% to 30% sure. 
    Id.
     at 17–22. None of this information was obtained from the
    challenged searches.
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    The only information obtained as the result of Agent Ware’s challenged searches
    in the affidavit was its description of the general contents of the duffel bag. Most
    significantly, the affidavit states “[d]uring a more thorough inventory of
    [Mr. Bullcoming’s] black bag on September 18, 2017, your affiant observed what
    appeared to be possible red/bloody spots on a pair of gray size 13 Jordan slippers.” Id. at
    20. We agree with the district court, however, that the information provided in the
    affidavit, without reference to the possible blood on the Jordan slippers, is sufficient to
    establish probable cause that evidence of Ms. Zotigh’s murder would likely be found in
    Mr. Bullcoming’s duffel bag.
    Because the murder involved numerous stab wounds and a great deal of blood, and
    Mr. Bullcoming had cuts on his arm and blood on his hand after the murder, it was
    reasonable to assume that Mr. Bullcoming’s clothes may have provided DNA evidence of
    the crime. When Mr. Bullcoming went to the Johnsons’ home, he brought clothes and his
    wallet in a trash bag before later picking up his duffel bag at Mr. Standingwater’s home.
    And following Agent Ware’s consensual search of the bag—when Mr. Bullcoming asked
    him to check for his medicine—Agent Ware was aware the duffel bag contained
    clothing.3 It was reasonable to assume that the clothes contained in Mr. Bullcoming’s
    duffel bag might have been clothes he wore the night of the murder. While it is not clear
    3
    Mr. Bullcoming argues that his request to bring the duffel bag with him when
    he was arrested compels a conclusion that it did not contain inculpatory evidence. We
    disagree. Although it may have been in Mr. Bullcoming’s interest to abandon the bag,
    his failure to do so does not change the fair probability that trace evidence might be
    found on his clothing contained in the bag.
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    from the record what happened to the trash bag of clothes Mr. Bullcoming brought to the
    Johnsons’ home, it is reasonable to assume he might have placed those clothes into the
    duffel bag when he arrived at Mr. Standingwater’s home. Alternatively, the clothes he
    wore to Mr. Standingwater’s on the evening of the murder might have been stored in the
    duffel bag, regardless of what happened to the trash bag’s contents. Given the bloody
    nature of the murder, there was therefore a “fair probability” that a search of
    Mr. Bullcoming’s duffel bag and the clothing inside would reveal DNA evidence helpful
    to resolving the crime. Barajas, 710 F.3d at 1108; see also United States v. Woody, 250
    F. App’x 867, 876 (10th Cir. 2007) (unpublished) (discussing the bloody nature of a
    murder and the resulting expectation that forensic evidence should have been found on
    suspect’s clothing and backpack).
    Because the affidavit contained “sufficient accurate . . . evidence” to support
    probable cause even without the information from Agent Ware’s challenged searches, the
    warrant was valid, and the district court was correct to deny Mr. Bullcoming’s motion to
    suppress. Sims, 
    428 F.3d at 954
    . For these reasons, we affirm the district court’s denial of
    Mr. Bullcoming’s motion to suppress.
    III. CONCLUSION
    For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the district court’s denial of
    Mr. Bullcoming’s motion to access Ms. Zotigh’s trailer and his motion to suppress,
    and we AFFIRM Mr. Bullcoming’s convictions.
    16