Navajo Man from Tseyatoh, N.M., Sentenced to Federal Prison for Involuntary Manslaughter Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Almundo Cruz Singer, 28 was sentenced this afternoon in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to 75 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his involuntary manslaughter conviction.

Singer, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Tseyatoh, N.M., 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, N.M.

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.

On April 17, 2015, Singer pled guilty to the indictment and admitted to killing the victim by driving recklessly while under the influence of alcohol.  Singer also 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 his vehicle without using due caution and with a reckless disregard that imperiled the lives of others.

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