Navajo Woman Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter

ALBUQUERQUE – 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 Leticia Ashley pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Ashley, 38, of Navajo, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain under supervision pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.

According to court documents, on July 29, 2022, Ashley was driving with four of her minor children in the vehicle. Ashley was intoxicated and speeding when she lost control of the vehicle, causing it to leave the roadway and roll over several times. Ashley’s five-year-old daughter died as a result of the vehicle crash and her other children were injured.

At sentencing, Ashley faces up to 8 years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Crownpoint Police. Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Bell is prosecuting the case.

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