Editor’s Note: Offensive language is used in this story.
TO’HAJIILEE, N.M. – A 51-year-old man from To’hajiilee was sentenced to eight years in prison with three years of supervision after he is released for a 2020 stabbing on the Navajo Nation. The man, Meredith Yazzie, admitted to stabbing his neighbor in the torso with a knife, and threatening federal officers with a hatchet.
According to court records, on May 25, 2020, Yazzie was walking home from a friend’s house and began to walk toward the victim, identified only as C.W., who claimed to try giving Yazzie a hug. Yazzie told investigators that C.W. was “talking shit,” which caused him to pull out a knife and stab C.W.
Court records show that C.W. pleaded for help and asked Yazzie why he was stabbing him. Yazzie admitted to stabbing C.W. multiple times before C.W. could get up and run away. Yazzie did not give up, however, and continued to pursue C.W., stabbing him more each time he caught up to the runner.
After listening to cries for him to stop the attack, Yazzie grabbed his knife and left C.W. alone.
C.W. attempted to flag down a vehicle, but the driver did not stop. He stayed, bleeding on the ground, until one of his relatives passed by and called 911. An ambulance was called for C.W., but refused to go to the crime scene until police could secure the location.
C.W. was eventually transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, N.M. He was treated for numerous stab wounds, a collapsed lung, and injuries to his throat; he did have a surgery to repair a lacerated lung.
Two weeks after the attack, on June 8, tribal courts issued an arrest warrant for Yazzie. On June 11 police went to Yazzie’s house. According to court records, police knocked on the door and identified themselves as law enforcement agents, Yazzie replied to them by shouting, “I’m not going back.”
Police opened the door and found Yazzie standing in a corner of the house, he had an item which police could not identify in his right hand and a screwdriver in his left. Yazzie refused to surrender to police, who tried to subdue him with pepper spray which did not work. Still Yazzie refused to comply with police.
Local law enforcement contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who has jurisdiction over crimes on tribal land. The FBI informed officers to stand down, but hold the scene until their SWAT team negotiators could arrive. Within the hour, the SWAT team was operational on the ground and was able to convince Yazzie to leave the house.
As Yazzie stepped out of his home, he raised a hatchet and screwdriver at the FBI in a threatening manner. Despite the threat of violence, FBI agents managed to swarm and subdue Yazzie before he could hurt anyone.
On September 13, Yazzie pleaded guilty to attacking C.W. and threatening federal law enforcement agents.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo National Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Spindle successfully prosecuted this case.