Pinehill Man Pleads Guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter in Fatal Shiprock Stabbing

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Kirtie Cohoe, a 48-year-old resident of Pinehill and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter following a fatal stabbing during a family gathering in Shiprock, New Mexico.

According to court documents, the incident occurred on July 31, 2023, at a relative's home in Shiprock. Cohoe and the victim, identified as John Doe, were alone in the kitchen when a dispute escalated. In a moment of lost self-control, Cohoe fatally stabbed John Doe multiple times in the torso with a knife instead of walking away.

After the stabbing, Cohoe fled the scene on foot, taking the weapon with him. Responding officers from the Navajo Police Department found John Doe deceased at the home. Cohoe was later apprehended in a nearby wooded area with bloodstains on his clothing. The weapon used in the attack was recovered near Cohoe's wallet.

Cohoe faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Farmington Resident Agency, with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meg Tomlinson and Mark Probasco are prosecuting the case.

Black and grey knife with boxPhoto byMYKOLA OSMACHKO