A Zuni man was sentenced on Aug. 3 to 18 years in prison for the deaths of three individuals resulting from a vehicle crash that occurred on July 4, 2025.
According to court documents, Willis Kylestewa, age 42 and an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, drove while intoxicated with four passengers in a vehicle without working headlights. When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, Kylestewa fled at high speed and swerved through traffic before losing control of the vehicle. The car flipped and crashed; Kylestewa and three passengers were ejected from the vehicle, resulting in two fatalities. Another passenger died inside the vehicle. At the hospital following the incident, Kylestewa’s blood alcohol level was measured at .317, and THC was also detected in his system.
Kylestewa pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder. There is no parole in the federal system. Upon release from prison, he will be subject to five years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement regarding sentencing.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department and Zuni Open Space. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas J. Marshall and Amy Mondragon are prosecuting.