LAS CRUCES – A trial for a man accused of murder was delayed Monday as the court prepared to select a jury.
Adam Alexander Torres, 27, stands charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and tampering with evidence. Police believe Torres killed Rogelio Alexander Baeza on June 28, 2019, outside the now-closed Halo’s Ultra Lounge.
The trial would’ve come more than three years after the shooting. However, Torres’ attorney filed an emergency notice of non-appearance Monday morning, saying he’d come down with COVID-19. A 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office spokesperson confirmed the trial would be delayed for another few weeks.
According to an affidavit filed in 2019, police believe Torres and Baeza feuded after Baeza beat up a friend of Torres’. In the affidavit, police attached text messages the two sent or meant to send to each other before the fatal shooting.
“Wait till I see you homie or anyone I know I got a number on your head since you wanna talk loud,” read one message that Torres allegedly sent to Baeza. The phrase “I got a number on your head” implies Torres placed a bounty or hit on Baeza.
Another witness also told police and later the Sun-News that Torres owed Baeza $2,000, adding to the distress between the two men.
Police said the feud spiraled into fatal violence in late June.
According to the affidavit, Torres and Baeza were carousing at Halo’s when Baeza and a friend left the club to smoke marijuana outside. Police said Torres followed them, as seen in the club’s surveillance footage.
Police said the footage shows Torres pulling out a gun and firing at both men. Baeza was struck in the head and died while the other man was able to flee, police said. Torres was arrested and charged a few days later.
Baeza is survived by his father, multiple siblings, and a child.
At a hearing in 2022, Torres’ attorney told a judge he planned to argue that Torres acted in self-defense the night of the killing.
For much of the last three years, Torres sat in the Doña Ana County Detention Center.
In February 2022, Torres’ attorney, Jeffrey Lahann, requested Torres be released. Lahann argued that Torres’ circumstances had changed since a judge ordered that he was dangerous and that no release conditions could protect the public. Lahann said that Torres would stay with his family in California.
Ultimately, a judge allowed Torres to leave jail and stay with his family. The judge also set a $50,000 bond Torres had to pay before leaving jail. There’s no indication in public court records that Torres violated his release conditions.
Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JE [email protected].
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