Man from Red Valley, Arizona pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in DWI collision

U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of New Mexico
24 September 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Maroquez Clah, 28, of Red Valley, Arizona, and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty September 21 to an indictment charging him with involuntary manslaughter.

Clah was arrested on Feb. 14 on an indictment charging him with involuntary manslaughter. During his plea hearing, Clah pleaded guilty to an indictment charging that he killed a victim, referenced in the indictment as John Doe, by driving carelessly, in willful disregard for the safety of others and likely to endanger a person or property, and under the influence of alcohol. He faces up to eight years in federal prison, followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

Clah remains on release pending sentencing. The court has not yet set a date for the sentencing hearing.

The FBI and the Navajo Division of Public Safety investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Novaline D. Wilson is prosecuting the case.

Press Release Number: 20-168