A member of the Zuni Pueblo, Joey Luarkie, 25, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for voluntary manslaughter following a fatal stabbing that occurred in February 2023. The sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office.
According to court records, on February 4, 2023, Luarkie stabbed an individual identified as John Doe in the neck during an argument at a residence on the Zuni Pueblo. Responding officers found John Doe outside the residence; he died the following day after being transported to a hospital and undergoing emergency surgeries.
Luarkie pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He will serve 72 months in prison and will be subject to one year of supervised release upon completion of his sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was conducted by the Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas J. Marshall prosecuted the case.
“This press release was posted November 14, after the end of the federal government shutdown.”
