An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation was charged Oct. 4 in federal court with a killing in Indian Country. Quinten Smith, 21, of Mexican Springs, N.M. will remain in custody pending trial.
According to a criminal complaint, Smith and others went to the home of the victim, identified as John Doe, on Sept. 24. They wanted to confront him. When they arrived, a physical altercation is said to have begun. During the fight, Smith allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times in the back using a pocketknife. Smith and the others are believed to have fled the scene.
Doe, also an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, and who lived on the Navajo Nation, was found dead at his home.
If convicted, Smith could face life in prison.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Navajo Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.
