Taos Pueblo Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Involuntary Manslaughter Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE—Keith E. Lucero, 27, a member and resident of Taos Pueblo, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Santa Fe, N.M., to 37 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his conviction on involuntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury charges.

Lucero was arrested on July 28, 2014, on an indictment charging him with killing an Indian man and assaulting another Indian man, causing him to suffer serious bodily injury on March 2, 2014.  The indictment alleged that Lucero committed these crimes while driving under the influence of alcohol in Indian Country in Taos County, N.M.

According to court filings, Lucero killed a Taos Pueblo man who was in Lucero’s vehicle during a crash in El Prado, N.M., while Lucero was under the influence of alcohol.  Another Taos Pueblo man who was also a passenger in the vehicle sustained serious bodily injuries as a result of the crash.

On June 3, 2015, Lucero pled guilty to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement.

This case was investigated by the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Taos Pueblo Department of Public Safety.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Y. Ramirez prosecuted the case.