A Taos man has been sentenced to life in federal prison for the 2019 murders of two members of the Taos Pueblo, according to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office.
Joshua Gonzales, 39, was convicted by a federal jury in June 2025 on two counts of second-degree murder after an eight-day trial. He was found guilty of killing John Doe 1 and his father, John Doe 2—both enrolled members of the Taos Pueblo—in June 2019 at John Doe 1’s residence.
“There is no parole in the federal system,” stated the release.
Court documents and trial evidence showed that Gonzales used a wooden table leg to repeatedly strike both victims, resulting in severe head injuries and multiple skull fractures. After committing the murders, Gonzales moved the bodies inside the residence, stacked them together, and hid them under rolled wire fencing. The victims’ remains were discovered two days later when family members reported them missing.
Investigators used surveillance video, forensic evidence, and cell phone records to establish a timeline of events. Video footage captured John Doe 2 arriving at his son’s home shortly before he was killed. Moments later, cameras recorded his pickup truck being driven erratically on the property before crashing into nearby trees—a sequence consistent with Gonzales attempting to flee. The vehicle was later found abandoned.
At the crime scene, investigators documented significant blood evidence as well as vehicle tracks, damaged fencing, and bone fragments. Cell phone data showed that Gonzales had one victim’s phone on him after the murders and began using a new device soon afterward.
Witnesses provided further links between Gonzales and the crime. One family member testified that she saw him last with John Doe 1; he also had access to a spare key for the residence and attempted to create an alibi before threatening her not to speak with law enforcement. Other witnesses said that Gonzales described how he beat both men and hid their bodies—details which matched physical evidence from the scene.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office—with support from local law enforcement such as Taos Pueblo Department of Public Safety; Bureau of Indian Affairs; New Mexico State Police; Espanola Police Department; Taos Police Department; Taos County Sheriff’s Department; and Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark A. Probasco and Samuel A. Hurtado prosecuted the case.
