ALBUQUERQUE—This afternoon, Uriah
Upshaw, 20, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Fruitland,
New Mexico, entered a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter. At sentencing,
Upshaw faces up to 15 years of imprisonment to be followed by not more than
three years of supervised release.
Upshaw had been released to a halfway
house under pretrial supervision following his arrest on August 29, 2011. After
entering his guilty plea, Upshaw was remanded into the custody of the U.S.
Marshals Service and will be detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has
yet to be scheduled.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales said
that Upshaw pleaded guilty to killing Mario Desheuquette, a 32-year-old Navajo
man, on August 26, 2011 by striking him with his hands. Upshaw was indicted on
October 26, 2011, and charged with voluntary manslaughter. According to the
indictment, Upshaw killed Desheuquette during a sudden quarrel and in the heat
of passion.
According to court filings, Desheuquette
initiated a physical altercation with Upshaw while Desheuquette was
intoxicated. After the fight ended, Upshaw went to Desheuquette’s home to
retrieve a personal item that Desheuquette had taken from him. While inside
Desheuquette’s home, the physical altercation resumed.
During today’s plea hearing, Upshaw
admitted repeatedly striking Desheuquette about the face and head, and that
Desheuquette died as a result of Upshaw’s actions. Upshaw entered his guilty
plea without the benefit of any plea agreement.
The case was investigated by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation and the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety,
Shiprock District, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Niki
Tapia-Brito.
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