Kendra Panteah, a 37-year-old woman, pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping not resulting in death in connection with the July 2019 incident where a man, known only as John Doe, was kidnapped, locked in a trunk, and fatally stabbed when he tried to escape. Panteah did not commit the murder but was involved in the crime. Another man, Gilbert John Jr., who was sentenced to 21 years in prison for second-degree murder, actually committed the stabbing. Panteah and John had used methamphetamine before the killing, and both struggled with substance abuse issues.
Panteah explained in her plea agreement that she had been driving with others in the victim’s car and that he had started grabbing at the wheel, prompting them to put him in the trunk after assaulting him. Panteah sought John’s help in dealing with the situation, and they drove the victim’s car, with him still in the trunk, to a remote location where the stabbing occurred. Panteah refused to participate in the stabbing.
Panteah faces at least 10 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of 18 years, when she is sentenced on January 27. Her attorney emphasized that drug and alcohol abuse played a significant role in the tragic events and lamented the impact of substance abuse on Native American communities. Both Panteah and John come from indigenous backgrounds, with Panteah being Zuni and John being Navajo.
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