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Press Release

Navajo man pleads guilty to second degree murder

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced that Evan Haceesa pleaded guilty to second degree murder. Haceesa, 29, of Nageezi, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

According to the plea agreement, on Aug. 28, Haceesa attacked Jane Doe at his residence in Nageezi on the Navajo Nation. Haceesa punched Jane Doe in the face until she lost consciousness and kicked her several times. Upon arriving at the home, a Navajo Police Department officer responding to a report of domestic violence found the victim unclothed and unresponsive, lying in a wheelbarrow outside the house. Jane Doe died as a result of her injuries.

Haceesa faces up to life in prison.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew McGinley is prosecuting the case.

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23-57

Updated March 23, 2023

Topic
Indian Country Law and Justice
Press Release Number: 23-57