A federal jury in Albuquerque, New Mexico, delivered a guilty verdict in the trial of Jeffrey Antonio, 35, an enrolled member and resident of Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico.
Antonio was charged with second-degree murder and indicted on March 23, 2016, for the alleged offense that occurred on July 31, 2015, on the Sandia Pueblo Indian Reservation in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
According to the indictment, Antonio committed the offense by swerving into oncoming traffic and crashing head-on into another vehicle, injuring the driver and killing the passenger. Law enforcement officers who responded to the scene of the crash observed a cold four-pack of beer in Antonio’s truck that was missing two cans and noted that Antonio smelled of alcohol.
The results of a blood test at a hospital following the crash revealed that Antonio had a BAC of 0.19. During the trial, the jury learned that Antonio has two prior convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol; one in 2008 and another in 2011, which required that Antonio complete a first offender program.
The jury deliberated less than two hours before returning a guilty verdict, finding Antonio guilty of the sole count of the indictment. Antonio has been in federal custody since his arrest on March 28, 2016, and will remain detained pending a sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
At sentencing, Antonio faces a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison. This case was investigated by the Northern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Spindle and Michael D. Murphy are prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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