Woman Indicted in Federal Court After Shooting Man with a Handgun on Navajo Nation

ALBUQUERQUE – A Navajo Nation woman has been indicted in federal court after allegedly shooting a man with a handgun during an incident that left the victim with serious injuries.

According to court documents, on November 17, 2024, Beverleta Tayah, 53, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted John Doe with a handgun and that assault resulted in serious bodily injury to Doe.

Tayah stands charged with three felony crimes—assault resulting in serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and discharging said firearm. She will remain in custody pending a detention hearing, which will occur next week. If convicted of the current charges, Tayah faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years 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 Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.

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