Shiprock man pleads guilty to second-degree murder

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for fatally stabbing a man during an assault on the Navajo Nation.

According to court documents, on July 25, 2024, officers with the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to a fight in progress near a defunct business in Shiprock, New Mexico. Upon arrival, they found John Doe lying on the ground with wounds to his face and chest. Witnesses reported that Edison Brady, 56, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, punched and kicked Doe before walking away to retrieve a knife from his nearby bag. Brady then returned to the scene and stabbed Doe multiple times. Despite life-saving measures, Doe was pronounced dead at Northern Navajo Medical Center. Officers found a knife with apparent blood stains in Brady’s possession.

Brady pleaded guilty to second-degree murder without a plea agreement. At sentencing, Brady faces up to life in prison.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Jena Ritchey and Zachary C. Jones are prosecuting this case.