Navajo Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Involuntary Manslaughter Charge

ALBUQUERQUE – Almundo Cruz Singer, 27, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Tseyatoh, N.M., pled guilty this morning to an indictment charging him with involuntary manslaughter.

            Singer was arrested on Dec. 16, 2014, on a criminal complaint charging him with involuntary manslaughter.  He subsequently was indicted on Jan. 8, 2015, and charged with killing a man on Dec. 9, 2014, while driving under the influence of alcohol on the Navajo Indian Reservation in McKinley County.

            According to court filings, Singer killed a 36-year-old Navajo man who was walking across State Road 118 in Church Rock, N.M., by hitting him with his vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol.  Singer fled from the scene of the crash, but was arrested shortly thereafter in Gallup, N.M.

            During today’s hearing, Singer pled guilty to the indictment and admitted to killing the victim by driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol.  Singer admitted that because of his intoxication, he was incapable of exercising clear judgment and a steady hand in operating a vehicle, and that he operated the vehicle without using due caution and with a reckless disregard that imperiled the lives of others.

            At sentencing, Singer faces a statutory maximum penalty of eight years in federal prison. Maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided for informational purposes only.  The sentence imposed on Singer will be determined by the court. Singer has been in federal custody since his arrest and remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.

            This case was investigated by the Crownpoint office of the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Jane Mease.