Zuni Woman Indicted for Kidnapping
PINEHILL, N.M. –
Zuni, New Mexico, woman Kendra K. Panteah is 34 and has been arraigned in court on July 23 for Kidnapping in Indian Country Resulting in Death. Her alleged accomplice, Brimhall, N.M., man Gilbert John Jr. was arraigned in court on March 30 for Second Degree Murder in Indian Country. John will remain in jail pending trial, Panteah was released to a halfway house with conditions of release. No trial date has yet been set, in the US judicial system, all people are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
According to the indictment and other court records, the kidnapping and murder allegedly occurred in July 2019. Court records identify the male victim as John Doe.
Court records show that the John Doe took a summer trip Arizona with Panteah and two unnamed individuals. The group was travelling to Witch Wells, Arizona, and then were going to return home to New Mexico.
At some point, not yet identified in court records, the group allegedly turned against John Doe and began to beat him up. After the altercation, the group allegedly threw John Doe into the trunk of their vehicle and began the drive to Pinehill in Cibola County, N.M.
After arriving in Pinehill, Panteah called Gilbert John Jr. asking for help because, “she didn’t know what to do,” according to court records. Court documents do not – at this time – explain the relationship between Panteah and John. Going to meet John, the group travelled north to Gallup, N.M.
When Panteah arrived at Gilbert John Jr.’s apartment, she allegedly explained to him what happened with John Doe. The two, leaving the unidentified members of the group behind, decided to travel further into Navajo Nation land. According to court documents, the two drove around the Nation for a whole day with John Doe allegedly in the truck. Eventually, John Doe recovered consciousness. Panteah and Gilbert John Jr. stopped at Bass Lake in McKinley County, N.M. and popped the trunk open in an attempt to escape.
As John Doe was getting out of the trunk, Gilbert John Jr. allegedly grabbed a machete and a knife and used these to attack John Doe. Gilbert John Jr. allegedly took the injured body of John Doe and placed it back in the trunk.
Court documents allege that Gilbert John Jr. and Panteah sat on the trunk to prevent John Doe from escaping until he stopped breathing.
Gilbert John Jr. drove the car to a house in Standing Rock, N.M. While the car was parked at the residence, John attempted to disable the car’s GPS tracker, in the process he disabled the automotive functions of the vehicle, rendering the car undrivable. All the while, the victim’s body was allegedly in the trunk. The car remained at the Standing Rock residence for 10 days before John could return to tow the car. John allegedly hauled the vehicle to Pipeline Canyon near Churchrock, N.M. before driving to Gallup to purchase gasoline. He returned to the car, allegedly doused it in gasoline and set the vehicle on fire.
If convicted of these crimes, both John and Panteah are facing a life sentence in federal prison. An indictment is only an allegation, all people are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department. Assistant US Attorney Alexander F. Flores is prosecuting this case.