A Navajo Nation woman pleaded guilty on June 2 to shooting and seriously injuring a man in 2024. According to court documents, Beverleta Tayah, 54, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, assaulted John Doe at a residence on the Navajo Nation after she armed herself with a handgun and shot John Doe in the chest, causing serious bodily injury.
Tayah pleaded guilty to two federal felony offenses—assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon. Each offense carries up to 10 years in prison at sentencing. Tayah will also be subject to up to three years of supervised release following any prison sentence, as well as victim restitution for monetary expenses encountered by the victim that are directly related to Tayah’s criminality.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.
The Gallup 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.