Pueblo Pintado Man Sentenced for Murder

ALBUQUERQUE - A Pueblo Pintado man was sentenced to seven years in prison for fatally shooting another man after a night of heavy drinking and a physical altercation.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court records, on March 17, 2025, Thurman Curley, 36, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, shot and killed John Doe following a physical altercation after a night of heavy drinking.

Curley pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Upon his release from prison, Curley will be subject to five 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 FBI's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case.