Sampson Antonio, Jr., Involuntary Manslaughter, New Mexico 2024

State: New Mexico
Category: Violent Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/crownpoint-man-pleads-guilty-federal-involuntary-manslaughter-charge" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release Ã¢â€ â€”

A 24-year-old man from Crownpoint pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after a woman was run over and killed by his vehicle while he was driving under the influence of alcohol.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Sampson Antonio, Jr., 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty this morning to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of a 19-year-old Navajo woman in Mariano Lake, N.M., on April 21, 2012.

Antonio was arrested in July 2012, on a criminal complaint charging him with involuntary manslaughter. He was subsequently indicted and charged with driving a vehicle while intoxicated and running over the victim and causing her death.

During this morning’s proceedings, Antonio pled guilty to the indictment and admitted killing the victim on April 21, 2012, while driving under the influence of alcohol and driving recklessly.

Antonio was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after entering his guilty plea and will be detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

At sentencing, Antonio faces a maximum penalty of eight years in prison. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle T. Nayback and David M. Adams, and was investigated by the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety.

The victim’s family may finally find closure after Antonio’s guilty plea, but it’s clear that his reckless behavior had devastating consequences. As the investigation shows, driving under the influence can be just as deadly as any other crime.

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