Shiprock Man Charged with Second Degree Murder

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 Morrie Lee Begaye appeared in federal court on an indictment charging him with second degree murder. Begaye, 36, of Shiprock, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, will remain in custody pending trial which has not been scheduled.

According to the indictment, on June 26, 2022, Begaye unlawfully killed John Doe with malice aforethought

An indictment is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the current charge, Begaye faces up to life imprisonment.

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

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