Kenric Lee Pleads Guilty to Stabbing Death of Uncle

Kenric Lee, a 41-year-old enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, admitted to killing his uncle during a violent argument in a parked vehicle, culminating in a stabbing that led to a fiery cover-up and a manhunt across Utah’s rugged terrain. The gruesome chain of events unfolded on June 7, 2018, in Montezuma Creek, where Lee and his relatives stopped at a convenience store—what began as a family outing ended in bloodshed.

According to federal prosecutors, Lee was seated in a Ford Expedition with his uncle, identified in court documents as J.L., and J.L.’s girlfriend, C.H., while C.H. went inside the store. The calm shattered fast: a heated quarrel erupted between Lee and J.L. in the confines of the car. When C.H. returned, she found Lee on top of her boyfriend, gripping a black knife. Lee told her they needed to get J.L. to a hospital—but instead of heading to the medical clinic right next door, he locked the doors and sped off.

The vehicle reappeared later that morning in flames. FBI and Navajo Nation police responded to reports of a burning Ford Expedition. Thirty yards from the incinerated wreck, officers found Lee standing alone, in possession of two knives. He resisted arrest before being taken into custody. Forensic evidence confirmed what investigators already suspected: Lee had murdered his uncle during the argument, inflicting two fatal stab wounds to the chest.

J.L.’s body was discovered hours later, dumped in a grove of bushes several miles from the burned-out SUV. The location, remote and desolate, suggested a deliberate attempt to conceal the crime. Despite the destruction of the vehicle, investigators pieced together the timeline using eyewitness testimony and physical evidence recovered at both crime scenes.

A federal grand jury indicted Lee in August 2018 on one count of second-degree murder. Last week, he sidestepped trial by pleading guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter while in Indian Country, as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. The deal includes a stipulated sentence of 110 months in federal prison—a term now awaiting approval from U.S. District Judge David Nuffer.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 12, 2019, in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Utah, with investigation led by FBI Special Agents and officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department. The conviction marks another grim chapter in the long shadow of violent crime within tribal jurisdictions, where federal law often takes hold.