Navajo Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Voluntary Manslaughter
| U.S. Attorney’s Office April 26, 2011 |
PHOENIX—U.S. District Court Judge Neil V. Wake sentenced Kevin James Belone, 20, of Fort Defiance, Arizona, to 10 years in federal prison. Belone, a member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on June 22, 2010.
On October 15, 2009, Belone, who was intoxicated, got into an altercation with the victim, a relative, outside his residence in Fort Defiance. During the altercation, Belone went into his residence and retrieved two knives. When he exited the residence, Belone stabbed the victim multiple times, causing fatal injuries.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Navajo Division of Public Safety Department of Criminal Investigations, and the Window Rock Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Christina J. Reid-Moore, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBERS: CR-09-8126-PCT-NVW
RELEASE NUMBER: 2010-072(Belone)