Farmington Man Sentenced for Arson

ALBUQUERQUE – A federal judge handed down an 8-month prison sentence to a Farmington man who pleaded guilty to burning down a residence in Two Grey Hills, New Mexico, which is within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to publicly available court records, on Aug. 28, 2023, Ulrick Bruce Canyon, 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, started a fire at the residence by pouring lighter fluid in the bedrooms, lit the fire with a match and threw two propane tanks into the fire. Canyon then left the residence with a wheelbarrow full of his clothing, at which time he was intercepted by Navajo Nation Police officers.

When questioned by a Navajo Nation Criminal Investigator, Canyon admitted to using marijuana and meth. On the day of the incident, Canyon said that he had been hearing voices and they had told him to “put the house on fire.”

Upon his release from prison, Canyon will be subject to 3 years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. McGinley is prosecuting the case.

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