Zuni man pleads guilty to triple homicide

ALBUQUERQUE - A Zuni man has pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with the deaths of three individuals on July 4, 2025.

According to court documents, on July 4, 2025, Willis Kylestewa, 42, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, drove while intoxicated with four passengers in a vehicle without working headlights. When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, Kylestewa fled, speeding and swerving through traffic before losing control of the vehicle, which flipped and crashed. Kylestewa and three passengers were ejected from the vehicle and two died at the scene. A third passenger died inside the vehicle. At the hospital, Kylestewa's blood alcohol level was .317, and THC was also detected in his system.

Kylestewa pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder. At sentencing, Kylestewa faces any number of years up to life in prison.

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

The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this 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.