Shiprock Man Receives 30-Month Prison Term for Unprovoked Triple Stabbing

Matthew David Charley was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on May 6, 2026, for stabbing an individual three times in the back without provocation in Shiprock, New Mexico.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced the sentence in a Department of Justice release. Charley, identified as a Shiprock resident, received the term after pleading guilty to the assault charge. The stabbing qualifies as a felony under federal statutes applicable to the offense on Navajo Nation land.

The sentence affects Charley directly through 30 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release. Federal Bureau of Prisons will designate the facility, typically a medium-security institution given the violent nature of the offense. The prior state allowed Charley to remain free pending sentencing; the new state requires immediate remand into custody.

The conviction now activates standard federal post-release protocols. Charley must report to a probation officer upon release, adhere to conditions that include no contact with the victim and substance-abuse testing, and face potential additional prison time for any violation.

The Department of Justice will track compliance through its supervision apparatus. Courts in the District of New Mexico retain jurisdiction over any future modifications to the supervised-release terms.

This marks the latest felony assault sentencing handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico on Navajo Nation territory. The original charging document cited the unprovoked nature of the attack and the use of a knife as aggravating factors under federal sentencing guidelines.

Congress has previously expanded federal jurisdiction over certain violent crimes committed on tribal lands through legislation that mandates coordinated prosecution between tribal authorities and U.S. attorneys.