ALBUQUERQUE – A To’Hajiilee man has been charged in a federal indictment alleging he beat a woman to death.
According to court documents, on September 17, 2021, Richard Tom, Jr. , 37, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, allegedly beat Jane Doe to death.
Tom is charged with second degree murder and will remain in third party custody pending trial which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, Tom faces up to life in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the To’Hajiilee Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — New Mexico — U.S. Department of Justice press release.