GRANTS, N.M. – A Zuni man has pleaded guilty in federal court to three counts of second-degree murder in connection with a July 4, 2025 crash that killed three passengers on the Zuni Pueblo.
According to court documents, on July 4, 2025, Willis Kylestewa, 42, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, was driving while intoxicated with four passengers in a vehicle that had no working headlights. When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, Kylestewa fled, speeding and swerving through traffic before losing control of the vehicle, which flipped and crashed.
Kylestewa and three passengers were ejected from the vehicle. Two passengers died at the scene, and a third passenger died inside the vehicle. At the hospital, Kylestewa’s blood alcohol content was measured at .317, and THC was also detected in his system.
Kylestewa pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder. At sentencing, he faces any number of years up to life in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced the plea on Feb. 26.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department and Zuni Open Space. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas J. Marshall and Amy Mondragon are prosecuting the case.