ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A second defendant has admitted guilt in the harrowing 2020 murder of a woman from Gamerco, New Mexico, authorities announced Thursday. Stacey Yellowhorse, 53, of Thoreau, New Mexico, entered a guilty plea to seconddegree murder charges in a federal courtroom, joining her co-defendant Timothy Chischilly, who had previously pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2024.
The tragic case unfolded on Jan. 23, 2020, when Yellowhorse, alongside her thenboyfriend Chischilly, lured their victim, identified as Jane Doe, to their residence in Mexican Springs, New Mexico.
The evening took a violent turn as the victim was restrained and then fatally bludgeoned by the pair, according to court documents and the plea agreement defendants said was accurate. Following the murder, Yellowhorse and Chischilly proceeded to burn Doe's remains in an attempt to conceal their heinous act.
Pending sentencing, Yellowhorse has been ordered to remain in custody. She faces a sentencing range of 10 to 20 years in prison as agreed upon in her plea deal, with the possibility of life imprisonment and a subsequent five-year term of supervised release. The plea agreement outlines that there is no parole in the federal prison system, setting a definitive term for Yellowhorse's incarceration.
The investigation into this brutal crime was spearheaded by the FBI's Gallup Resident Agency, with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Gallup Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Brawley and Tavo Hall.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, along with Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, underscored the collaborative effort in bringing Yellowhorse and Chischilly to justice.