ALBUQUERQUE-Farrell Bowman, 28, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Fruitland, N.M., pleaded guilty this morning in Albuquerque, N.M., to involuntary manslaughter charges under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Bowman will be sentenced to 74 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
Bowman was arrested in Jan. 2015, on a criminal complaint charging him with involuntary manslaughter. According to the complaint, Bowman killed two Native American men with his vehicle when he crashed into their vehicle head on while he was driving under the influence of alcohol. The crash occurred on July 3, 2014, in a location within the Navajo Indian Reservation in San Juan County, N.M. Bowman was subsequently indicted on the same charges on Jan. 21, 2015.
During today’s plea hearing, Bowman pled guilty to the indictment and admitted killing the victims by driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol which rendered him incapable of exercising clear judgment and a steady hand in operating a vehicle. Bowman acknowledged that he operated the vehicle without using due caution and with a reckless disregard that imperiled the lives of others.
Bowman has been in custody since his arrest and remains detained pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquel Ruiz-Velez is prosecuting this case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
