Pinedale woman pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in her husband's shooting death

A Pinedale woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to involuntary manslaughter for killing her husband during a physical altercation, federal prosecutors in Albuquerque announced Wednesday, Sept. 9.

According to court documents, on June 30, 2025, Mabelene Grey, 46, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, confronted her husband at their residence in Pinedale, New Mexico, about an affair. A physical altercation followed, during which Grey produced a firearm and, during the struggle, fired it, killing him, prosecutors said.

The release identified her husband only as John Doe.

Grey pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. At sentencing, she faces up to eight years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release. Prosecutors did not announce a sentencing date.

First assistant federal prosecutor Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement. The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant federal prosecutor Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case.

The Navajo Police Department shared the release on its Facebook page.