Mescalero Apache Woman Gets 30 Months for Brutal Stabbing

Corinne Delphine Kinzhuma, 31, of Mescalero, New Mexico, is headed to federal prison for 30 months after pleading guilty to a vicious stabbing that left a Mescalero Apache man fighting for his life on the reservation in December 2014. The assault, carried out with a knife, targeted the victim’s neck, chest, arm, and cheek in a sustained, brutal attack that prosecutors say showed clear intent to inflict serious harm.

The attack occurred on Dec. 12, 2014, within the boundaries of the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in Otero County—a jurisdiction that places violent crimes under federal authority. The victim was rushed to surgery, required a chest tube, and was admitted to the surgical intensive care unit for continuous monitoring. He also suffered a fractured left radius, evidence of a desperate struggle or attempt to defend himself during the assault.

Kinzhuma was arrested on Feb. 26, 2015, following a criminal complaint filed in federal court. She was later indicted on June 17, 2015, on two counts: assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury—all charges elevated due to the crime occurring in Indian Country, where federal law applies.

On March 9, 2016, Kinzhuma entered a guilty plea to the charges without a plea deal, meaning she received no concessions from prosecutors in exchange for her admission. The absence of a negotiated agreement often signals a strong evidentiary case, leaving defendants with fewer options but to concede guilt before trial.

The investigation was led by the FBI’s Las Cruces field office and the Mescalero Agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services—agencies frequently involved in violent crime cases on tribal lands where local law enforcement resources are limited. Their joint work led to the swift arrest and prosecution of Kinzhuma despite the case’s four-year gap between crime and sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan, based in the Las Cruces Branch Office, prosecuted the case. Kinzhuma will serve her 30-month sentence in federal custody, followed by three years of supervised release, during which any misstep could land her back behind bars. The sentencing, handed down in federal court in Las Cruces, underscores the federal government’s ongoing role in policing violent crime on tribal reservations across New Mexico.