‘It’s not fair’ – a hard-working man dies: Cow Springs man charged with murder in Florida

DÁ’DEESTŁ’IN HÓTSAA

He wasn’t perfect, nor was he trying to be a perfect person, said a relative. But many people loved him.

His name was Tyrell Sagg, a hard-working man who made sure his family was well taken care of with everything from food to luxury to shelter.

He died on Oct. 3, 2021. He was 41 years old.

An autopsy revealed the cause was strangulation, according to the Panama City Beach Police in Florida, where Sagg was set to start another job.

Panama City Beach Police officers first received a call on Oct. 3 about an unresponsive man at a hotel. Sagg, his girlfriend, Didda Betty Johnson, 34, and his co-worker, Scottie Black Sr., 40, stayed in a room together. The group checked in the day before.

Johnson, whose maiden name is Burns, of Kaibeto, and Black, of Cow Springs, Arizona, told authorities Sagg had an underlying heart condition and must have died during the night.

Sagg was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy Oct. 5 revealed that the cause of death was not natural. Investigators said by this time, Johnson and Black had left the state.

“There’s a lot of people who loved Tyrell,” said Sagg’s relative, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. “He was an important person, and it’s not fair.”

Sagg was from Mexican Water, Arizona. He was Bit’ahnii, born for Tábąąhá. His maternal grandfather is Táchii’nii, and his paternal grandfather is Kinyaa’áanii.

“He had a big heart, as he often said himself,” Sagg’s relative said. “He cared a lot about other people, and if he could help somebody that needed help in any way, he would no questions asked, he did it.

“His family was very important to him,” Sagg’s relative said. “His kids were very important to him.”

Incriminating statements

Two detectives from the Panama City Beach Police Department traveled to Diné Bikéyah on Jan. 10 to question Burns-Johnson and Black. Investigators said Johnson gave incriminating statements indicating Black had something to do with Sagg’s death.

She also admitted to using Sagg’s debit card after his death and lying to detectives.

When investigators questioned him, Black confessed to killing Sagg during an altercation at the hotel. He also admitted to using Sagg’s debit card after he died to pay for his and Johnson’s trip home.

Investigators said Johnson had sex with Black while Sagg lay dead in the hotel room after the murder.

Investigators couldn’t immediately arrest Johnson and Black because of jurisdictional issues in the Navajo Nation.

Black eventually turned himself in Feb. 13 and is being held in Bay County, Florida. He is charged with homicide without bond and fraudulent credit card use on a $10,000 bond.

He is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on April 18.

Panama City Beach Police arrested Johnson on Feb. 21, and she is being held in Bay County on a $32,500 bond. She is charged with making a false report to law enforcement, fraudulent use of a credit card, and accessory after-the-fact to murder.

“It’s definitely not fair for them to cut his life short, for whatever reason they did that for,” Sagg’s relative said. “There’s absolutely no reason in the world to kill somebody.

“Whatever happened that night – nobody deserves to be killed,” the relative added. “Nobody deserves to be strangled and hurt like that. Scottie Black and Didda Johnson had no right to take a father from his kids.”

On the road

Sagg graduated from Red Mesa High School in 1998. His relative said Sagg recently started traveling for work across the country.

Before he started traveling, he worked at Antelope Point Marina in LeChee, Arizona, where he met Johnson, according to sources familiar with the pair.

Sagg was one of the supervisors at the marina and took care of the company crew.

“The guys he worked with were like brothers to him,” Sagg’s relative said. “Like everybody else, they (at the marina) were shocked to find out exactly what happened to him because they know the kind of person he is. They know he’s physically strong. So, it’s hard to believe.”

Sources who were friends with Johnson on Facebook said she posted a broken-hearted note on the day of the incident.

“This tremendous amount of emotional pain, it’s not easy to find words of comfort,” wrote Johnson, who deleted her Facebook account when her arrest warrant surfaced.

“Heaven has gained a beautiful protector,” she wrote. “Tyrell Sagg, you were always a beautiful spirit. You truly are one of a kind who gave me so much with your heart and show it every day….”

A source who knows Johnson said they remember sympathizing with her and was saddened by what happened.

“She (Johnson) was married to someone else before,” the source said.

“Whatever she did in this whole situation, she needs to be held accountable,” Sagg’s relative added. “I just want to bring attention to this because this incident happened in Florida.”

Tyrell’s brother, Byron, said he met Johnson on only two occasions, and she seemed nice.

“That was my initial impression of her,” Byron said.

Seeking closure

Sagg’s family said they know many of his close friends and acquaintances, but they didn’t know Black, how he knew Sagg, and how he ended up in Panama City Beach.

“I didn’t even know about Scottie until the reports came out,” Sagg’s relative said. “Where did this guy come from, and how do they know each other?”

“I’m still in shock from what we have learned of the whole situation that has unfolded,” Byron said. “Anything more – that justice is served for the crimes they committed.”

Byron said his brother was a social person and an extrovert and was always willing to lend a helping hand to anybody. He was a welder and a construction worker, among other trades.

“He always talked about doing the best he could for his kids, to support them,” Byron said. “And he tried to enjoy his life as much as he could. But it was his kids, above anything.”

Byron said in one of the last phone calls with Tyrell, he and the family told Tyrell they loved him and to take care of himself in Florida.

Tyrell was supposed to return home to Diné Bikéyah at the end of October 2021.

Tyrell was laid to rest on Oct. 9, 2021.

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