NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Tyrone Atcitty Nez, a 33-year-old member of the Navajo Nation in Sanostee, has pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter. The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, Alexander M.M. Uballez, reports that Nez will remain in custody while he awaits sentencing.

According to court records, Nez fatally assaulted a man in a home near Nez’s residence near Sanostee on the Navajo Nation on Jun. 8, 2022. Nez allegedly punched the victim, knocking them unconscious, and then stomped several times on the victim’s head. The victim died as a result of these injuries.

Sentencing has not yet been scheduled but Nez could face up to 17 years in prison. The FBI’s Farmington Resident Agency investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department. Brittany DuChaussee, Assistant U.S. Attorney, is prosecuting the case.