ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico – Perfinna King, a 34-year-old enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty to using a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court filings, King had an argument with her domestic partner on April 6, 2012, in a residence located in the Navajo Indian Reservation. King stabbed the victim in the leg and dragged her out of the bathroom before shooting her in the leg as she tried to escape.
The victim was treated for multiple stab wounds and a gunshot wound on her leg. King was arrested in April 2012 and has been in federal custody pending her sentencing hearing.
Under the terms of her plea agreement, King will be sentenced to six years in federal prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.
The case was investigated by the Farmington office of the FBI and the Shiprock office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Presiliano A. Torrez.
The case was brought pursuant to the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (Tribal SAUSA) Pilot Project, which seeks to train tribal prosecutors in federal law, procedure, and investigative techniques to increase the likelihood that every viable violent offense against Native women is prosecuted in either federal court or tribal court, or both.
King has been in federal custody and remains detained pending her sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Related Federal Cases
- Peter Pagan, Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, New Mexico 2015 · New Mexico
- Reynaldo Marquez, Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, New Mexico 2014 · New Mexico
- Darrel Salazar, Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence, New Mexico 2016 · New Mexico
- Daniel Pacheco, Carjacking and Using, Carrying and Brandishing a Firearm, New Mexico 2021 · Arkansas
- Jason K. Thompson, Assault by Strangulation and Assault with a Deadly Weapon, New Mexico 2025 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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