A Fruitland woman has been sentenced to 33 months in prison following a violent incident that resulted in serious injuries to another person. Richelle Rose Upshaw, 24, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, pleaded guilty on October 17, 2024, to charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Court documents detail that on February 21, 2023, Upshaw and three other women traveled approximately 23 miles from the Journey Inn in Farmington to Upshaw’s trailer located on the Navajo Nation. During their journey, the group engaged in multiple physical altercations reportedly influenced by alcohol consumption. Upon reaching her trailer, Upshaw demanded that the others leave and subsequently became involved in a fistfight with Jane Doe. The confrontation escalated when Upshaw used her pocketknife to stab Doe in the head.
Following the stabbing incident, Jane Doe was transported to Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock for treatment of her injuries. Upshaw fled but was later apprehended at a nearby residence by officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department who reported detecting a strong smell of alcohol.
Upon completion of her prison sentence, Upshaw will be under supervised release for three years.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office. The case was investigated by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Zachary C. Jones and Meg Tomlinson.