Jemez Pueblo Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Second-Degree Murder Charge

ALBUQUERQUE—Lucas Michael Ray Toledo, 25, a resident and enrolled member of Jemez Pueblo, pleaded guilty this morning to a second-degree murder charge. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Toledo will be sentenced to a prison term between 28 years and 32 years, followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. The guilty plea was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Steven C. Yarbrough and Special Agent in Charge Carol K.O. Lee of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI.

Toledo was arrested on September 29, 2010, on a criminal complaint alleging that he murdered Matthew Panana, 21, also a member of Jemez Pueblo. Toledo subsequently was indicted on that same charge in October 2010. Proceedings in the case were delayed by competency proceedings.

According to court filings, Toledo murdered the victim in the early hours of September 29, 2010, outside Toledo’s residence on Jemez Pueblo. Toledo acknowledged murdering the victim sometime after 1:30 a.m. after the victim repeatedly disrupted Toledo as he was attempting to sleep by knocking on Toledo’s bedroom window. In response to the victim’s disruptive behavior, Toledo went outside and attacked the victim, stabbing him repeatedly with a box-cutter razor and kitchen knife and beating him with a shovel.

During today’s plea hearing, Toledo pleaded guilty to a felony information charging him with second-degree murder and admitted killing the victim by stabbing him with a knife and beating him with a shovel. Toledo has been in custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

The case was investigated by the Albuquerque Office of the FBI with assistance from the Jemez Pueblo Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano A. Torrez.