Mescalero Man charged with Domestic Abuse

ALBUQUERQUE – Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, announced that Frank Shorty Trujillo appeared in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with assault by strangulation and/or suffocating a spouse or intimate partner. Trujillo, 18, of Mescalero, and an enrolled member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.

According to the criminal complaint, on Oct 9, 2023, Trujillo assaulted Jane Doe in front of their one-year-old son because he was angry that his “weed” had not been delivered as scheduled to the residence. Trujillo pushed Jane Doe into their young son, causing her to fall on top of the baby, who then began to cry. Trujillo then climbed on top of the Jane Doe and strangled her for approximately five seconds, preventing her from being able to breathe, punched her, bit her on the leg, pushed her down into the bed and pulled her hair. Jane Doe feared for her life and believed that Trujillo was going to kill her.

The morning following the assault, Jane Doe tried to speak to Trujillo who was armed with a knife. Trujillo cut himself with the knife on his arm and neck. After Trujillo learned that law enforcement had been called, he then fled into the woods to avoid arrest.

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted on the current charges, Trujillo faces ten years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matilda McCarthy Villalobos and A’Kiesha Soliman are prosecuting the case.

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