Farmington man pleads guilty to second-degree murder

Admitted firing a shotgun into a crowd

A Farmington man reached a plea deal Oct. 3 in federal court in Albuquerque in which he admitted to one count of second-degree murder and one count of assault occasioning great bodily harm.

Hanson Tsosie, 33, admitted to “repeatedly firing a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun” at a group of people in an area near Nenahnezad on September 5, 2021, the plea agreement said.

The shots hit a woman, killing her and another woman who was left “critically injured with life-threatening injuries that were extremely painful,” the plea agreement states.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Tsosie faces between eight and 25 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and will remain in federal custody until his sentencing.

The FBI's Farmington Resident Agency investigated Tsosi's case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and the Criminal Investigation Division.

Assistant United States Attorney Mark A. Probasco and Matthew J. McGinley are prosecuting the case.

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