ALBUQUERQUE – Three people, including a man from Yahtahey, are facing time in prison after they reportedly kidnapped and killed a man.
According to the indictment, between Feb. 6 and Feb. 15, 2020, Camille Damon, Ronald Belone, and Tyran Begay kidnapped a man before killing him in a remote location near Smith Lake, New Mexico. The man was reportedly restrained, beaten, and strangled with a ligature.
Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced Jan. 4 that Damon, 44 of Mexican Springs New Mexico; Belone, 40, of Yahtahey, New Mexico; and Begay, 38, of Teec No Pos, Arizona, appeared in federal court on an indictment charging them with first degree murder and kidnapping resulting in death.
Begay will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. Damon and Belone will remain in temporary custody pending a detention hearing, which was scheduled for Jan. 5. All three defendants are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation.
An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Damon, Belone, and Begay face mandatory life imprisonment.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Probasco is prosecuting the case.
