GRANTS, N.M. – A Zuni man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for the 2023 stabbing death of a man on the Zuni Pueblo.
According to court records, on Feb. 4, 2023, Joey Luarkie, 25, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, stabbed John Doe in the neck during an argument at a residence on the Pueblo. Responding officers found John Doe outside the residence. He was transported to a hospital, underwent emergency surgeries and died the following day.
Luarkie pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 72 months in prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Upon his release, he will be subject to one year of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced the sentence on Nov. 14, following the end of the federal government shutdown.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall is prosecuting the case.