ALBUQUERQUE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock woman has been charged with second degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing a man outside her residence.
According to court documents, on October 4, 2026, Letisha Begay, 39, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly shot a man following an encounter outside her residence in Shiprock, New Mexico. According to investigators, Begay told responding officers that the man had been drinking throughout the day and returned to her residence looking for his motorcycle. Begay said she returned home after receiving a phone call from her distressed daughter and found the man taking the keys to her truck.
A nearby witness reported hearing a loud bang before seeing a pickup truck backing toward another vehicle. The truck struck the vehicle, and witnesses found the man unconscious behind the wheel with a gunshot wound to his chest. Begay approached the truck and initially told a witness that the man had shot himself. She attempted to stop the bleeding while witnesses called for help. Responding officers attempted lifesaving measures, but the man died at the scene.
While speaking with officers, Begay allegedly admitted shooting the man but said she had not intended to do so. She directed officers to a pistol inside her residence and confirmed that it was the firearm involved in the shooting. Investigators also observed a shattered driver's side window with a small hole in the glass.
Begay is charged with second degree murder and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. She will remain on condition of release pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Begay faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and maximum of life imprisonment.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
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 Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Ray Slatton is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
