Shiprock man sentenced to three years for 2021 car crash that killed passenger

A Shiprock man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in connection with a 2021 fatal car crash.

Keanu Marcel Upshaw, 22, was sentenced to a prison term of three years and one month after pleading guilty in federal court on April 6, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. Upshaw, a member of the Navajo Nation, will face three years of supervised release upon the completion of his sentence.

On Sept. 16, 2021, Upshaw, who had been drinking heavily, according to court documents, lost control of the vehicle he was driving, leading to a crash on Navajo Route 36 northwest of Shiprock. Both Upshaw and his passenger were ejected, with the passenger dying from injuries.

Court documents show that when a sample of Upshaw’s blood was taken approximately two hours after the incident, his blood alcohol concentrate was 0.18, more than twice the legal limit in New Mexico for operating a motor vehicle. An accident reconstruction effort revealed that the vehicle driven by Upshaw was traveling between 69 and 80 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone at the time of the accident, the release states.

The case was investigated by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations.