The Albuquerque Police Department's Homicide Unit has identified 26 murder suspects in the first six weeks of this year. Out of these suspects, 24 have already been arrested, one is deceased, and one is currently wanted. This significant progress in solving murder cases can be attributed to the department's investment in detective academies and the overhaul of investigative units.
APD Chief Harold Medina expressed his satisfaction with the department's achievements, stating, "Our investment in detective academies and the overhaul of our investigative units continues to pay off. Homicides are down, and our detectives are solving most cases, which sends a message that offenders are not going to get away with their crimes."
The list provided by APD includes the dates, locations, and suspect identities of each homicide. However, one suspect's information is not listed due to a sealed warrant. The cases span from January to February of 2024.
Among the identified suspects are Christopher Facey, Kerri Santos, Austin Bing, Christina Pena-Cantor, James Welch, Roberta Martinez, Ethan Sheppard, Antonio Secatero, Jesus Secatero, and the deceased suspect Robert Shroyer III.
Additionally, APD has solved homicides from previous years in 2024. These include cases from November 2023, where the suspect was Andrew Ramirez, and December 2023, where three juveniles were involved. There are also cases from April 2017, August 2021, and October 2020, with suspects named Marco Martza, Daisy Ortiz, Santos Veronica, Francisco Rodriguez, Dominic Baca, Elton Gastelum, Johnny Lopez, Lawrence Ramirez-Casiquito, and Nathan Henson, respectively.
Furthermore, the department has made arrests in homicide cases that were solved in previous years. These include a case from January 2021, where Eugene Roybal was apprehended, and another from December 2022, where Jese Barrios was arrested.
The Albuquerque Police Department's dedication to training and improving their investigative units has proven effective in addressing the issue of homicides in the city. With the majority of cases being solved and suspects being apprehended, APD sends a clear message that criminals will be held accountable for their actions.
