ALBUQUERQUE, NM—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 Maylene John was arraigned on an indictment charging her with second-degree murder. John, 33, of Shiprock, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

A federal grand jury indicted John on May 24. According to the indictment and other court records, on October 24, 2022, John allegedly stabbed her seven-year-old daughter in the chest. John claimed not to know what precipitated the stabbing and that she “blacked out” after the incident.

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, John 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 Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case.