ALBUQUERQUE — A brutal 2020 murder has led to a 17-year federal prison sentence for Antonio Chaco, a To’Hajiilee man whose actions left Thomas Anthony Brown dead in the wilderness.
According to court documents, on June 24, 2020, Chaco, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, engaged in a violent confrontation outside his trailer home. Without provocation, he struck Brown and continued to beat him until unconscious. The attack then moved to a remote desert location within the Navajo Nation, where Chaco abandoned Brown without water, food, phone, or shelter.
On July 4, 2020, the skeletal remains of Thomas Anthony Brown were discovered by his family in the To’Hajiilee wilderness. The Medical Investigator’s Office determined that Brown’s cause of death was homicidal violence, including blunt-force trauma.
In a separate incident this year, Chaco pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal detention officer while awaiting trial for the murder charge. He faces an additional 20 years in prison for this offense, with sentencing yet to be scheduled.
Chaco will also be subject to five years of supervised release upon his release from prison. U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office announced today’s sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones and Brittany DuChaussee prosecuted these cases.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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