Douglas Burt, Second Degree Murder, New Mexico 2014

Man Pleads Guilty to Second Degree Murder in New Mexico

A 19-year-old man from Zuni Pueblo has pleaded guilty to second degree murder in federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Douglas Burt, 19, admitted to his role in the murder of a man on October 28, 2014, on the Zuni Indian Reservation in McKinley County, New Mexico.

According to the plea agreement, Burt and his co-defendant Dusty Chavez, 23, instigated a fight with the victim during which Chavez threw the victim to the ground and started kicking and punching the victim. Burt also kicked the victim; Chavez hit the victim in the head with a rock, and Burt stabbed the victim in the chest.

The autopsy report revealed that the victim died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and stab wounds to the chest. Burt and Chavez were arrested in November 2014 on a criminal complaint charging them with murder.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Burt will be sentenced to a term of 204 to 264 months in federal prison. He will also face a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. Burt has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

The case was investigated by the Gallup office of the FBI and the Zuni Pueblo Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elaine Y. Ramirez and Kyle T. Nayback are prosecuting the case. Charges in criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusations and criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Dusty Chavez, Burt's co-defendant, has entered a not guilty plea to the indictment. The case is ongoing, and Burt's sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. We will provide updates on this case as more information becomes available.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/zuni-pueblo-man-pleads-guilty-federal-murder-charge