Shiprock man charged in ax murder
A Shiprock man has been indicted for the killing of his brother with an ax.
Charley Joe Jr., no age given, has been charged with murder.
According to his arrest warrant, FBI agents were dispatched to a home 50 yards south of First Lane in Shiprock on Sept. 16 after being notified by Navajo Police that a man’s body had been found there with apparent ax wounds. In the warrant, the victim’s name was withheld.
The body was found by a relative who had gone to the victim’s home to borrow flour.
After getting a search warrant, Navajo police and FBI agents entered the home and discovered a large amount of dried blood near the body. They also found a large ax propped up against the wall near the front entrance. The ax was also covered with dried blood.
The victim had several wounds to his body on his head, left arm, upper chest, abdomen and lower back.
An investigation revealed that the victim’s brother, Joe, lived in a hogan adjacent to the residence. Later that evening, Navajo police and the FBI located Joe at the Shiprock Chapter House where a meeting was being held by the family to discuss funeral arrangements.
FBI agents noticed that Joe had brownish-red stains on his blue jeans and tan shoes as well as a black eye. He appeared to be intoxicated and told the FBI agents that he had drunk two pints of vodka that day.
The next day Joe was interviewed by criminal investigators for the Navajo Polcie and FBI agents.
He said he was at home with his brother on Sept. 15 when they got into an argument and his brother said “hurtful things” to him and then told him he wanted him to leave the property and never come back.
Joe said he told his brother that the property belonged to his family and he had a right to live there. Joe said his brother then punched him in the face several times. Joe said he pushed him back into the kitchen and began punching him.
He then became angry and struck his brother with the ax, Joe said to the investigators, according to the arrest warrant.
He said he then left the house.
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow