Prewitt Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Manslaughter in Indian Country

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that on June 30 a federal judge sentenced Brandon Charley of Prewitt, New Mexico, to five years and three months in prison for voluntary manslaughter in Indian Country. Charley pleaded guilty on Sept. 8, 2021.

According to the plea and other court records, Charley got into an altercation with the victim and shot him from a motor vehicle in a remote area near Prewitt, New Mexico. The shooting occurred on the Navajo Nation, and Charley and the victim are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation. Following Charley's imprisonment, he will be placed on supervised release for three years.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph M. Spindle and Letitia Carroll Simms prosecuted the case.

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