Federal Manslaughter Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025
109 people were sentenced for manslaughter offenses in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 105 (96%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 60 months (5 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 63 months.
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Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 › Manslaughter: District of New Mexico
In brief: 109 people were sentenced for manslaughter offenses in the District of New Mexico in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 105 (96%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 60 months (5 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 63 months.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 109 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Sentences Above the Guideline Range Were Common
22% of the 109 people (24) were sentenced above the guideline range. 55% (60) were within the range. 14% (15) were below it at the government's request, and 9% (10) were below it without a government request.
Nationally, 45% of manslaughter sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 59% were.
Involuntary and Voluntary Manslaughter
Manslaughter is the Commission's offense type for these cases. §2A1.4 (Involuntary Manslaughter) was the primary guideline in 65 cases. §2A1.3 (Voluntary Manslaughter) was the primary guideline in 42, and §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact) in 2.
Nationally, 743 people were sentenced in this type. Here, the cases were less than 1% of the 29,766 people sentenced in the district.
Prison Terms and Mandatory Minimums
4 people (4%) received probation only. Among the 105 sent to prison, a quarter received 90 months or more, and a quarter received 30 months or less.
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 7 of the 108 people with that information recorded (6%). Nationally, 96% of people in this type were sent to prison. The district-wide median for all offenses was 3.5 months.
Only 2 Trials
107 people (98%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 60 months after a guilty plea and 48.5 months after a trial. That trial figure is based on 2 people, so no general comparison can be drawn.
Among guilty pleas, 86% had a written plea agreement and 14% were straight pleas. Nationally, 93% of people in this type pleaded guilty.
After Prison and Criminal History
105 people (96%) were ordered to serve supervised release, with a median term of 36 months. Restitution was ordered for 68 (62%), and a fine for 2 (2%).
66% were in criminal history category I, the lowest, and 0% were in category VI, the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Counts by Year
50 people were sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2019, and 59 in fiscal years 2020 to 2025. Fiscal years begin on October 1 of the previous calendar year.
Yearly counts run from 6 in 2022 to 16 in 2016. The yearly median was 37 months in 2017 and 87 months in 2021. These small groups vary from year to year and do not show a trend.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 16 | 61 months | 100% |
| 2017 | 13 | 37 months | 100% |
| 2018 | 12 | 75 months | 100% |
| 2019 | 9 | 79 months | 9 of 9 |
| 2020 | 8 | 47 months | 8 of 8 |
| 2021 | 10 | 87 months | 100% |
| 2022 | 6 | 60 months | 6 of 6 |
| 2023 | 11 | 60 months | 82% |
| 2024 | 11 | 41.5 months | 100% |
| 2025 | 13 | 61.5 months | 100% |
What Is Not Captured
This post uses federal data only. Cannon AFB, Holloman AFB, and Kirtland AFB are located in the district, but courts-martial are tried in military courts and are not part of these counts. Someone who was acquitted or whose case was dismissed does not appear, and the records do not describe what happened in any case. Prison terms are the terms imposed rather than time served.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the District of New Mexico (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "New Mexico") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Manslaughter" (109). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Assault Sentences in the District of New Mexico, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.