CIBOLA COUNTY - Danny Stanfield, 61, of Cibola County, was indicted on Nov. 6 for the murders of Wayne Johnson and western New Mexico legendary rodeo rider Sonny Jim on Oct. 3 on Johnson's and Jim's property.

Danny Stanfield’s motor home sits quietly on Wayne Johnson’s and Sonny Jim’s land.BEACON / JARAMILLO

    Stanfield, formerly from Alabama, is being charged on four counts: two first degree murder charges, willful and deliberate; attempt to commit a felony, to wit, first degree murder with a firearm, willful and deliberate; and bribery of a witness, threats and reporting.

    Stanfield's visit to Cibola County has been adventurous since he arrived nearly six years ago. According to sources, he was traveling through and had a blowout on his motor home and parked it at an area RV park for a couple of years or so. He and Wayne Johnson became friends and Johnson offered Stanfield a spot on his property to park his motor home. Stanfield accepted the offer.

    “Johnson and Sonny Jim were owners of the property on Thomas Road, just south of San Rafael,” said a close friend of theirs. Johnson, also known as the 'Chicken Man,' because of his alleged chicken fighting past, had lived on the property for many years. Rumor is Johnson at one time bred fighting chickens.

    On the Thomas Road property were two mobile homes that belonged to Johnson, one white and one blue. Johnson lived in the blue one. According to a close friend, Johnson would not live in the better shaped white one because his mother and brother had passed away inside of it.

Also on the land was, of course, Stanfield's motor home, and a shed Stanfield had built recently.

Family members of Johnson have yet to come forward and claim his body and belongings. Johnson's body is still at the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque, according to the Cibola County Sheriff's Office.

     “Wayne was looking for his daughters . . . he'd mention them from time to time,” said the friend. “Last Johnson heard they were in Alamogordo.”

    Johnson introduced Stanfield to his close friend Sonny Jim. Johnson was the senior of the three.

Over time the relationship between Johnson and Stanfield became challenging for both men, according to sources. For example, not long ago, Johnson allegedly shot Stanfield's dog because he was eating Johnson's chickens. The challenging friendship had gone to the point that Stanfield told friends that he should've never built a shed on the property, a $1,000 investment, because he felt he may not be there much longer. According to several sources, Johnson became afraid of Stanfield, and sought help from younger friend Sonny Jim for assistance.

    On Oct. 23, the dispute between Johnson and Stanfield escalated to the point of it costing the lives of Johnson and Jim. What exactly happened that day? The courts will soon try and figure it out. Stanfield is claiming self-defense. Deputy Lance Lister, the deputy that was first on the scene, asked Stanfield when arrived on the ugly scene on Oct. 23 if anyone had been shot. Stanfield answered, according to a sheriff report, “You're damn right I shot them, it was self defense.”

    At approximately 4:30 p.m. that day, central dispatch received a call from Jim requesting help. One witness, Fernando Begay, may know the whole story, however, he cannot write. Begay was a buddy of Jim's and had only expected to deliver some steers to Carl Elkins that Friday. Today, he is caught in the middle and the only witness in a double homicide.

    The Cibola County Sheriff’s Office has interviewed and documented an interview with Begay.

According to a CCSO report, Stanfield was trying to place Jim and Johnson under citizen's arrest and things escalated to the point of Stanfield allegedly shooting both men multiple times.

    Jim was a rodeo legend to many northern New Mexicans, especially in the Navajo arena. A memorial was given on his behalf at Red Rock State Park late last month and nearly 750 attended.

“Sonny would've been in his glory if he'd been born 150 years ago,” said one friend of his. “He was truly the wild west.”

    Jim was a Native American rodeo cowboy. He was named as All-Around Cowboy in 1969 and 1970, World Champion Indian Bareback Rider in 1970, World Champion Indian Steer Wrestler in 1982 and was a lifetime member of numerous rodeo associations and continued to participate in rodeo events professionally to his very last days.

    Jim's life was colorful. He toured with the Harlem Globetrotters in Asia in his early days. He also was band member for country-western singers Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Jim also believed in and practiced all Native American traditions and cultures.

    “He was an inspiration and a legend,” his memorial card read.

    Stanfield now awaits a pre-trial hearing for the murder of Johnson and Jim from the District Court. Look in the Beacon for future articles as this story unfolds.