Diego Lopez, Editor
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A Zuni man has been indicted on charges of second-degree murder in Indian Country, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
According to the indictment, on December 1, 2024, Glendon Laate, a member of the Zuni Pueblo, allegedly killed John Doe with malice aforethought by shooting him with a homemade firearm.
Laate is currently in custody and will remain detained pending trial. A date for the trial has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Laate faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and could receive up to life imprisonment.
The investigation was led by the Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office with critical support from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case.
Officials have emphasized that an indictment is only an allegation, and Laate is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.