Suspect in man's killing placed on house arrest

Nathan Lederman, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·1 min read
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Oct. 28—A Hernandez man was placed on house arrest Thursday after being accused of fatally shooting a neighbor earlier this month near his mobile home.

An affidavit for the arrest warrant states Jerrid Maestas got into a verbal argument with Elmer Sanchez Jr. and the man's father before grabbing a handgun from his car and fatally shooting Sanchez Jr.

The shooting occurred Oct. 17.

Maestas is being charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, according to online court records.

A motion for Maestas' pretrial detention filed Monday in 1st Judicial District Court says the suspect should be kept in custody because of his lengthy criminal past and previous failures to show up to court when directed.

"Defendant has a history going back to 2012 of failing to appear as ordered by the court and follow court orders," the motion states. "[Maestas] was placed on conditions of release on April 17, 2014, and while that case was pending and before being resolved he was charged with multiple new felony offenses."

However, Judge Jason Lidyard ordered Maestas be placed on house arrest with GPS monitoring. According to online court records, Maestas has a preliminary hearing scheduled before Lidyard on Dec. 20.