ALBUQUERQUE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni woman was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for her involvement in a 2019 kidnapping that resulted in the victim's death.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, between July 1 and July 16, 2019, Kendra Panteah, 37, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, participated in confining John Doe in the trunk of his own vehicle. She then brought the vehicle and victim to her co-defendant, Gilbert John Jr., and proceeded to drive around the Navajo Nation for over 24 hours with the victim locked in the trunk. They then stopped near Bass Lake, NM. When John Doe attempted to escape, John Jr. repeatedly stabbed him with a machete, resulting in the victim's death.
After the killing, Panteah and John Jr. abandoned the vehicle with the body inside for several days. John Jr. later towed the vehicle to a remote location, doused it with gasoline, and set it on fire to destroy evidence. The victim was only identified through hip replacement devices found in the burned vehicle.
Gilbert John Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison in June of 2024.
Upon her release from prison, Panteah will be subject to five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark A. Probasco and Alexander F. Flores prosecuted the case.
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