Brandon Charley, 36, of Prewitt, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty on Sept. 8 to voluntary manslaughter in Indian Country.

In the plea agreement, Charley admitted that on June 24, 2018, he intentionally shot and killed a man in Prewitt on the Navajo Nation reservation. Charley also admitted that when he shot the victim, he did not have an objectively reasonable belief that anyone was in imminent danger.

Charley is currently in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled yet. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

The Gallup Residency Agency of the FBI, New Mexico State Police, McKinley Sheriff’s Office, and the Navajo Nation Department...

Trudy Martinez, 30, of Bread Springs, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced on Sept. 10 in federal court to 19 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in Indian Country. Martinez pleaded guilty on March 16, 2020.

According to the plea agreement and other court records, Martinez shot her sister-in-law in the abdomen with an AR-15 assault rifle.

Martinez hid the firearm in an arroyo and then remained at large for several days before being arrested while throwing a birthday party for one of her children in a park in Gallup.

Martinez admitted that she intentionally killed her...

The Gallup Municipal Court recently announced the Self Surrender Week. This week-long initiative allows individuals with any pending bench warrants from the court to see Judge Janell Griego and have the warrant voided.

The self-surrender period is from Oct. 4 through Oct. 7, between 7 am and 4 pm. Defendants can walk into court on those dates and give their names, appointments are not required.

Defendants are encouraged to take advantage of the self-surrender period because beginning Oct. 18, the McKinley County Sheriff's Office will begin serving outstanding warrants.

Anyone with questions may call the Municipal Court at 505-863-4469.

 

A member of the Navajo Nation has been sentenced to eight years and six months in prison for sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country.

In the indictment against 65-year-old Larry Nathaniel, of Farmington, he was charged with holding the girl down by her arm and touching her genitalia. The victim was ten years old at the time.

Court records say Nathaniel committed the offense at the victim’s home in San Juan County on Feb. 24, 2019.

He pleaded guilty Feb. 2 and was sentenced Aug. 25 in federal court.

When he is released from prison, he will be subject to five years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI...