Shiprock Man Sentenced for Unprovoked Assault

ALBUQUERQUE - A Shiprock man who stabbed an individual three times in the back without provocation was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on April 19, 2025, Matthew David Charley, 30, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, approached John Doe and his friends near a roadside area in Shiprock and introduced himself. After John Doe's friends briefly left the area, Charley remained with John Doe, who had no prior interaction with him and did not provoke him.

As John Doe began walking away to meet his returning friends, Charley stabbed him three times in the back without warning. John Doe sustained lacerations to his upper back and flank and required emergency medical treatment.

After the attack, Charley fled the scene. When later interviewed by the investigators, he initially denied being in the area. After being confronted with surveillance footage, he admitted he was present but continued to deny the assault.

Charley pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon. Upon his release from prison, Charley will be subject to three years of supervised release.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case.