ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) – Following several recent homicide arrests, Albuquerque police and city leaders are expected to address the topic in a news conference Thursday morning. The news conference is expected to begin around 10 am and KRQE News 13 will update this article with more information when it’s available.
One of the most recent arrests was surrounding the February 2022 murder of Jonathan Garza. Garza was shot to death outside of a downtown bar and restaurant at 1st and Central. APD says Garza was a well-known fitness trainer who was defending his brother and attempting to break up a fight between people.
APD says detectives used surveillance video, cell phone data, and a description of the suspect to find more information on social media, eventually leading investigators to Isaac Martinez. A 19-year-old, Martinez was arrested on May 11 in connection with the shooting case. He is facing an open count of murder.
In a separate case, on May 5, APD arrested Samuel Jackson, 29 in a March 2021 homicide case. That homicide unfolded at the Imperial Inn Motel on Central near I-40.
APD says Jackson fatally shot Frank Brown, 46 during an attempted robbery in the motel parking lot. Investigators say Jackson was with a female accomplice during the March 4 robbery.
Jackson’s May 5 recent arrest came after APD’s use of digital evidence gathering methods following the arrest of his alleged female accomplice. According to a press release, APD says Jackson’s suspected accomplice, Jaeline Miera was arrested for another, different homicide case on March 17.
In the course of Jaeline Miera’s March 17 arrest, detectives seized and searched her cell phone. On that phone, APD says its “Digital Intelligence Team” identified an individual named “Jackson” who Miera was texting with around the time of the March 4 killing of Frank Brown.
APD later interviewed Jackson about the March 4 case. Investigators say Jackson “admitted to being present” at the time of Frank Brown’s killing.
Back in April, APD arrested Marcos Vigil, 48, charging him in a double homicide at a DK convenience store in the Foothills at Copper and Tramway. APD says on April 12, Vigil allegedly shot and killed both Kenneth Sweetwater Jr. and Dominic Sanchez following an argument in the store’s parking lot.
Detectives say surveillance video and witness accounts of the shooting helped lead them to Vigil. He’s facing two murder charges and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
APD Chief Harold Medina and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller are expected to take part in Thursday’s news conference.
Comments are closed.