New Mexico woman sentenced after man beaten to death, US DOJ says

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A woman from Gallup, New Mexico, was sentenced after a man was killed in 2021.

Court records claimed Shannon Etsitty was using meth and drinking with two other people in September of 2021 when they devised a plan to lure and harm the victim, John Doe.

John Doe was picked up, and the two other people got into the vehicle. John Doe was assaulted, and the vehicle veered off the road where it became stuck.

Outside the vehicle, documents claimed they used a screwdriver and baseball bat to beat and stab the victim. His body was hidden in nearby bushes. Law enforcement showed up and helped them retrieve the car while one person hid with the body in the bushes.

Reports stated Etsitty, a relative, that relative’s spouse, and one of the assailants later returned and moved the body to a field near Mentmore, New Mexico.

Days later, Doe’s body was found with multiple injuries, like a stab wound to his chest and severe head trauma. His death was established as a homicide. Etsitty was linked to the crime.

One of the assailants was identified as Elias Viola, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Etsitty was sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $19,498.71 in restitution.

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