Zuni is murder victim

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Police released the name of the man who was found dead in a drainage ditch just north of the downtown train station.

He was identified as 45-year-old Franklin Chavez of Zuni.

A passer-by found Chavez dead in a drainage ditch just north of the downtown train station on Tuesday at about 4 p.m. His lower extremities were covered in a plastic bag with a 4 foot by 6 foot board on top of the remainder of his body.

Gallup resident Nelson Yatsattie, 34, and Zuni resident Anthony Kaamasee, 22, are in custody at the McKinley County Adult Detention Center on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence for their roles in the June 6 killing. Their bonds are set at $100,000 cash only.

Yatsattie and Kaamasee may have plotted the attack in retaliation for an attempted sexual assault they claim Chavez committed or in response to a derogatory name he called one of the suspects.

However, an exact motive isn't completely clear.

According to an affidavit for arrest, detective Andrea Tsosie interviewed residents of a campsite located feet from where Chavez's body was discovered. Witnesses told police Yatsattie, Kaamasee and Chavez were involved in a physical altercation on June 6. The men all frequented the northside campsite. One witness said she found the body and asked an employee of BNSF to call police about the matter.

The witness then began walking toward Albertson's and ran into the suspects in the case. She reportedly confronted the pair and they said "We kicked his a**" because of what he did to you. They were reportedly referring to an attempted sexual assault they allege Chavez committed. The affidavit also states that Chavez may have called one of his attackers a name prior to the incident. Erin Toadlena-Pablo, a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department, said police are also searching for a third man who was involved in the altercation.

Nothing has been released about Chavez's cause of death; however, a medical examiner noted several shallow cuts on his body before it was transported from the crime scene.