An Albuquerque man was recently sentenced to life in prison for murdering a University of New Mexico (UNM) student-athlete.
John Duran, a deputy district attorney for the Bernalillo County DA’s Office, said Darian Bashir, 25, committed the crime without warning in 2019.
“This was a completely unjustified murder that was done with sheer callousness and cold-bloodedness,” Duran said. “He murdered him without provocation.”
KRQE reported that Bashir murdered Jackson Weller, a UNM basketball player, after a bar fight. The judge and district attorney noted that the crime was unjustified and cold-blooded.
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina notified the community of the sentence on Twitter.
“Today, Darian Bashir was sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of UNM baseball player Jackson Weller,” Medina wrote. “I’m proud of the hard work by APD [in] building a strong case that led to justice for Weller’s family.”
Medina added that he hopes the sentence brings a sense of closure to teammates, coaches, and “above all, his family.”
Weller was shot by Bashir in May 2019 outside of a now-dormant Nob Hill bar, according to the news station.
KRQE reported that Bashir’s defense team tried to justify the murder by stating that Weller used racially-motivated slurs; however, video surveillance proved that Bashir and Weller's interaction featured no racial slurs.
The news station reported that Bashir will be eligible for parole in 2055.
“I think there are no winners in this, but we want to thank John Duran very much for all the work that he did on behalf of Jackson and getting justice for Jackson,” Lisa Weller, Jackson’s mom, told KRQE. “I think you have to trust the justice process, and the outcome was the right outcome.”