Three young teens accused in Taos homicide
Oct. 8—Three Taos-area teenagers are charged with first-degree murder in a shooting early Wednesday that killed a 52-year-old woman and wounded her 19-year-old son during what police suspect was a plan to burglarize the family's home in Taos.
Javier Romero, 16; Elijah Hamilton, 14; and Rickey Fresquez, 14, also are charged with aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, New Mexico State Police said in a news release issued Friday.
State police Lt. Mark Soriano said the agency's Investigations Bureau did not provide any motive for the shooting. Arrest warrant affidavits for the teens may not be public record due to their ages, he added.
Court documents provided by the state Administrative Office of the Courts say, however, the teens are accused of entering Shirley Reyes' residence with a plan to rob the home. The petitions, filed in the state District Court in Taos County, also say the teens have been charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in addition to the other counts.
Taos resident Claudia Gutierrez told The Taos News this week the slain woman was her mother and the injured man is her brother, Alejandro Reyes.
Gutierrez spoke with The Taos News on Wednesday as state police investigators combed her family's home for evidence and the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator prepared to remove her mother's body.
There was a history of violence at the home, Gutierrez said, noting police had been called several times.
"We've been going through it with animosity for a while now, and the cops knew about it," she said. "I would tell them all the time: 'Prevention starts now, before someone dies.' They need to listen to people and not make assumptions."
The fatal shooting came nearly a week after state police arrested 31-year-old Jeremiah Rael on suspicion of killing his girlfriend, Brandi Davis, outside their home in Talpa.
A neighbor's grandchildren found Davis lying in the yard Sept. 29. Police responding to the neighbor's call found Davis had a gunshot wound to the head, according to an affidavit for an arrest warrant charging Rael with first-degree murder.
State police arrived at Reyes' La Luz Drive residence Wednesday at the request of the Taos Police Department. Officers found Reyes dead inside her home, according to the news release.
Reyes' son, who was injured by gunshots, went to a neighbor's house around 5 a.m. to ask for help, the news release said. The neighbor reported the shooting to police.
Alejandro Reyes, who is not named in the news release, identified Romero and Hamilton as suspects in his mother's death, according to state police. The agency learned of Fresquez's potential involvement during the investigation.
Alejandro Reyes was taken to a local hospital after the shooting, state police said. His injuries and current condition are not known, according to the release.
Hamilton's parents took him to the state police office in Taos on Wednesday morning, the release said. Police located Romero that afternoon, but Fresquez was not apprehended until around 12:30 a.m. Friday when a family member took him to the station.
Soriano said Fresquez was booked into the San Juan County Juvenile Services Center, while the other two teens were booked into the Lea County Juvenile Detention Center.
