Dec. 20—A Zuni Pueblo man identified by federal prosecutors as a “serial murderer, kidnapper and sexual abuser” was charged this week with six additional felonies for crimes against Native American men.
Labar Tsethlikai, 51, is now charged with 17 felonies, including two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of kidnapping resulting in death, according to a superseding indictment filed Wednesday.
Other charges include four counts of kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse and assault with intent to commit murder.
“The additional charges are part of a larger series of violent crimes committed by Tsethlikai against Native American men across New Mexico between 2022 and 2024,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release issued Friday.
Prosecutors said the victims were Native American men, but none are identified by name in court records. Most of the attacks occurred in McKinley County.
“Simply put, (Tsethlikai) preys on a vulnerable segment of the population, that being males who are either homeless or addicted to controlled substances, or both,” prosecutors wrote in an April 29 pretrial detention motion.
Preying on this vulnerable group “has allowed defendant to commit the serial offenses without detection,” the motion said.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura Fashing in May ordered Tsethlikai to remain in custody pending trial. He faces a mandatory life sentence or death if convicted of first-degree murder or kidnapping resulting in death, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The FBI is asking anyone with information linking Tsethlikai with other crimes to call the agency at 505-889-1300 or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov.
Tsethlikai is from Zuni but traveled extensively around New Mexico, including Gallup, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. He is believed to have worked in the Native American jewelry industry.
Tsethlikai initially was charged in April with second-degree murder in the Jan. 18 death of a man found dead in a remote area of the Zuni reservation. Tsethlakai now faces first-degree murder in that death.
At the time of his arraignment in May, Tsethlikai was considered a suspect in a string of murders, kidnappings, robberies and sexual assaults in New Mexico, including the Albuquerque metro area, federal court records show.
In July, Tsethlikai was charged with the October 22, 2022, death of a man identified as “John Doe 1,” who died as a result of a kidnapping, according to the superseding indictment.
Five new victims are identified in the latest superseding indictment. The new charges include five counts of kidnapping and one count of assault with a baseball bat, all committed in McKinley County between May 2023 and April.