Shiprock Man Faces Federal Charges for Fatal Stabbing During Residential Break-In

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man is facing a federal murder charge after allegedly breaking into a home and fatally stabbing a man during a violent altercation in the early morning hours.

According to court documents, on Friday, June 27, 2025, Armondo Paul, 25, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was arrested after officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to a stabbing at a Shiprock residence. Upon arrival, officers found the victim deceased with a neck wound believed to be from a bladed weapon.

The investigation revealed Paul went to a home after midnight and turned off the power to that residence. After a young woman and her father exited their home to investigate, Paul forcibly entered their residence armed with a knife. After a brief struggle, Paul stabbed the male in his neck. Paul then fled the scene; he was apprehended later that day.

Paul is charged with second-degree murder. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charge, Paul faces up to life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.