A Shiprock man was sentenced on May 6 to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to stabbing another individual three times in the back without provocation.
The case concerns Matthew David Charley, age 30, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. According to court documents, Charley approached John Doe and his friends near a roadside area in Shiprock on April 19, 2025. After introducing himself, Charley remained with John Doe when the others briefly left. As John Doe began walking away to meet his returning friends, Charley stabbed him three times in the back without warning. The victim suffered lacerations requiring emergency medical treatment.
Charley fled the scene following the attack. When investigators later interviewed him, he initially denied being present but admitted he was there after being shown surveillance footage. He continued to deny committing the assault.
Charley pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon. Upon release from prison, he will be subject to three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
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 regarding this sentencing. 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 Amy Mondragon is prosecuting.
