3 men charged in 2020 fatal shooting of Navajo Nation resident
12/10/2025 5:30 pm PST
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (TCN) -- Three men have been indicted on federal charges in connection with the death of a Navajo Nation man in 2020.
The United States Attorney’s Office announced federal charges in the unsolved case of Zachariah Shorty, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. He was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in Nenahnezad, New Mexico, on July 21, 2020, at age 23.
Austin Begay, 31, shot and killed Shorty with malice aforethought and premeditation, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. Begay is charged with first-degree murder in Indian Country. Jaymes Fage, 38, allegedly aided and abetted in the shooting, and Joshua Watkins, 40, is also charged with crimes connected to concealing the murder.
Begay and Fage are also enrolled members of the Navajo Nation.
CBS News reports Shorty was last seen at Journey Inn Motel in Farmington, New Mexico. He had reportedly gone there to make music with friends. His body was found days later in a field.
The Justice Department said the FBI placed 64 personnel nationally at field offices as part of “Operation Not Forgotten” to support investigations into violent crimes in Indian Country, according to a Nov. 24 press release. This case was part of that effort.
ABC News reports Shorty’s mother, Vangie Randall-Shorty, advocated for justice for her son for the last five years, attending town hall meetings and doing what she could to keep the case in the spotlight.
If they are convicted, Begay and Fage face life imprisonment and Watkins could serve up to three years, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
MORE:- FBI surge leads to charges in 2020 killing in Native American community — Los Angeles Times
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