Man Pleads Guilty To 2016 Kidnapping, Sexual Assault and Murder of 11-Year Old Girl Near Shiprock

A 28-year-old New Mexico man has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing and killing an 11-year-old girl after kidnapping her and her brother on the Navajo Nation in May of last year. In a release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico says Tom Begaye Jr. entered the plea Tuesday in Albuquerque under an agreement that requires him to serve a mandatory life term without the possibility of release. Begaye abducted Ashlynne Mike and her 9-year-old brother on May 2nd, 2016, and drove them to a remote spot a few miles from the Shiprock formation. He let the boy go, but molested Ashlynne and killed her with a tire iron.