Kendra Panteah, a 37-year-old woman, pleaded guilty to her involvement in the kidnapping of a man identified as John Doe in New Mexico in July 2019. Panteah, who did not kill or stab the victim, was present when another man, Gilbert John Jr., fatally stabbed him. The pair had used drugs, including methamphetamine, leading up to the killing. After the murder, John drove the victim’s car, with the body inside, to a remote location and set it on fire to cover up the crime.
Panteah admitted in her plea agreement that the victim was put in the trunk of the car after a disturbing incident during a drive from Zuni, New Mexico, to Witch Wells, Arizona. She drove to Gallup with the victim still locked in the trunk, asking John for help once they arrived. They then drove into the Navajo Nation, where the victim managed to break out of the trunk before being fatally stabbed by John with a machete. Panteah claimed that John also wanted her to stab the victim, but she refused.
Panteah faces a minimum of 10 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of 18 years, when she is sentenced in January. Her attorney emphasized that drugs and alcohol heavily influenced the events leading to the tragedy, and highlighted the substance abuse problems in many Native American communities. John, who had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier and received a 21-year sentence, is also indigenous.
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