A woman from Shiprock has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of her daughter. Court documents state that on October 24, 2022, Maylene John, who was 35 years old and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation at the time, fatally stabbed her 7-year-old daughter in the heart with a knife. Authorities said John was under the influence of methamphetamine during the incident.
John entered a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter and now faces up to 15 years in federal prison. After serving her sentence, she will be subject to three years of supervised release.
"Acting 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 today."
The case was investigated by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office with help from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin L. Dillon and Eliot Neal are prosecuting.
