ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Quinten Smith, 22, of Mexican Springs, New Mexico, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced on Nov. 7 to six years and six months in prison for manslaughter in Indian Country. Smith pleaded guilty on May 16.
On Sept. 24, 2021, Smith and other family members went to the home of the victim, identified as John Doe, to confront him for allegedly assaulting Smith’s mother. When they arrived at the home, a physical altercation ensued. During the fight, Smith stabbed the victim multiple times in the back with a pocketknife. Smith and the others fled the home immediately.
John Doe, who was also an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was found deceased in his home later that day. The killing occurred on the Navajo Nation.
Upon his release from prison, Smith will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Navajo Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall prosecuted the case.
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