2010-09-18 Jeff David Yager

Former Pantex Agent Sentenced to Life for Wife’s Murder

A Randall County jury sentenced former Pantex federal agent Jeff David Yager to life in prison for the September 2008 murder of his wife, Amy Yager.

Yager, 28, received the maximum sentence available for killing his 26-year-old wife. He must serve 40 years before becoming eligible for parole.

Yager claimed he and his wife had returned from a night out with friends when he mistook her for an intruder. He said he fired before realizing he had shot Amy.

Prosecutors disputed that account, noting that investigators found no evidence of an intruder. Randall County Criminal District Attorney James Farren said Yager’s explanation also failed to account for the manner in which his wife was killed.

Evidence showed that Amy was shot from approximately two feet away. Yager then placed the gun against the back of her head and fired again, killing her. An autopsy also revealed bruises and abrasions inflicted shortly before her death.

After the shooting, Yager walked more than a mile from the couple’s home on Hatfield Circle, near Amarillo High School, to a friend’s residence and reported what had happened. The friend drove him back to the home and discovered Amy’s body. Authorities found no indication that Yager was intoxicated at the time.

During sentencing, jurors were asked to determine whether the killing occurred in the heat of passion, which could have reduced Yager’s punishment. The jury rejected that argument and imposed a life sentence.

Amy Yager was a student at Amarillo College. Jeff Yager worked for the Office of Secure Transportation Central Command at the Pantex Plant, where he helped protect shipments of nuclear weapons and materials and held a top-level security clearance.

Following the killing, Yager was removed from duty and his access to Pantex and other nuclear-weapons facilities was suspended.