ALBUQUERQUE – Randy Payton, 35, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Churchrock, N.M., was sentenced March 8 in federal court in Albuquerque to 137 months in prison for his voluntary manslaughter conviction. Payton will be on supervised release for three years after completing his prison sentence.
Payton was arrested on Oct. 19, 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him with killing a Navajo man on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County on Oct. 14, 2016. According to the criminal complaint, Payton killed the victim by hitting and kicking him repeatedly during a fight. Payton subsequently was indicted on the same charge on Nov. 15, 2016.
On July 18, Payton pled guilty to the indictment and admitted killing the victim during a fight on Oct. 14, 2016.
