GRANTS, N.M. — A Zuni man has been indicted in federal court in connection with the deaths of three people on the Zuni Pueblo on July 4.
According to court documents, on July 4, 2025, Willis Kylestewa, 41, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, killed John Doe, Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2.
A federal grand jury indicted Kylestewa on three counts of second-degree murder. He will remain in custody while the case is pending. If convicted, according to the Department of Justice, “he faces any number of years up to life in prison.”
U.S.Attorney Ryan Ellison andActing SpecialAgent in Charge Philip Russell of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office announced the indictment on Nov. 13, 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 and Zuni Open Space. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas J. Marshall and Amy Mondragon are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.