Julisa Raelynn Sanchez, Involuntary Manslaughter, New Mexico 2013

Navajo Woman Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter in New Mexico Crash

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Julisa Raelynn Sanchez, 20, a Navajo Nation member, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. She was driving under the influence of alcohol on May 11, 2013 and crashed into a cement pillar on Isleta Pueblo lands.

The crash occurred in the early hours of May 11, 2013, and there were three passengers in Sanchez’s vehicle. Two of the passengers were seriously injured, and a third, a 26-year-old Isleta Pueblo man, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sanchez entered a guilty plea to Count 1 of the indictment, charging her with involuntary manslaughter under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Court filings show that Sanchez lost control of the vehicle she was driving, drove into a water-filled irrigation ditch, and slammed into the cement pillar in the Chicala lateral ditch bank.

Sanchez remains on conditions of release pending her sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled. Sanchez faces a maximum penalty of eight years of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release and restitution as ordered by the Court.

This case was investigated by the Southern Pueblos Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback. Sanchez, a resident of Peralta, N.M., was arrested on May 22, 2013 on a criminal complaint charging her with involuntary manslaughter and assault charges.

The exact criminal charges against Sanchez include Involuntary Manslaughter. The case reflects a senseless tragedy that occurred under Sanchez's reckless driving while intoxicated.

Sanchez admitted that she killed the victim while driving under the influence of alcohol on May 11, 2012, the crime date stated, but the incident was reported in 2013.

The mandatory facts are as follows: Defendant/Respondent: Julisa Raelynn Sanchez, Exact Criminal Charges: Involuntary Manslaughter, City and State: Peralta, N.M., Exact Date: May 11, 2013, Sentence or Outcome: Maximum penalty of eight years of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release and restitution.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/navajo-woman-pleads-guilty-involuntary-manslaughter-charge-arising-out-death-isleta