Suspect in double murder held in custody until trial
The man accused of killing his girlfriend and her grandfather while streaming portions live on Facebook will remain in custody until trial. He has also been charged as a felon in possession of a firearm.
Alejandro Alirez — identified in some court records as Alejandro Sanchez-Alirez — was arrested Nov. 8 following a standoff at a home in the 400 block of Peggy Lee Lane. Police allege 23-year-old Alirez shot and killed Cristal Cervantes, 33, and her grandfather Victor Cervantes, 89, according to New Mexico State Police. Alirez also streamed portions of the slayings on Facebook Live.
Prosecutors filed a motion Nov. 12 to hold Alirez without bond until trial, and during a hearing Tuesday, District Court Judge Gerald Baca ordered Alirez held.
An amended criminal complaint was filed Monday, charging Alirez with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm after prosecutors learned Alirez had previously been convicted of a felony in Colorado. The additional charge is the eighth felony Alirez faces, including two counts of first-degree murder.
San Miguel County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home on Peggy Lee Lane Nov. 8 after Alirez’s mother told deputies her son was acting “irate” and that he had a handgun. Alirez was convinced that children were being sexually abused, according to an arrest affidavit filed in San Miguel Magistrate Court, and he wanted to kill his nieces and nephews, who he believed were victims of sodomy.
When deputies arrived at the home, Alirez fired eight shots at them, according to a pretrial motion filed in District Court. Deputies took cover behind police vehicles, and one of those vehicles was struck by a bullet.
Law enforcement officers were aware Alirez was streaming live on Facebook, according to the motion, and were able to record portions of the video. Alirez had indicated he’d killed Victor Cervantes in the video, and he could be seen firing a semi-automatic pistol at Cristal Cervantes.
Police say Victor Cervantes was shot three times while lying on a couch, while Cristal Cervantes was shot twice, first in the stomach, then in the head.
Sheriff’s deputies received support from New Mexico State Police and the Las Vegas Police Department. After Alirez refused to exit the home, State Police fired gas canisters into the home in an attempt to force him out, though he remained inside. State Police crisis negotiators later made contact with Alirez via a cellphone and were successful in getting him to surrender.
Alirez told officers that after the gas was fired into the home, he made a mask out of clothing, and locked himself in a bedroom that had a vent to protect him from the gas.
In March 2017, Alirez was charged with auto theft after taking a car belonging to his sister’s boyfriend. Prosecutors allege Alierz fled to Colorado to avoid arrest. However, while in Pueblo, Colorado, Alirez was arrested for breaking into a Pueblo Bank and Trust branch. After accepting a plea agreement in July 2017, Alirez pleaded guilty to felony criminal mischief, admitting to causing more than $1,000, but less than $5,000, worth of damage to the bank’s property, according to a plea agreement filed in Pueblo County’s District Court. Alirez was also convicted of a misdemeanor charge of attempting to disarm a police officer in the case.
In January of this year, Alirez was charged with a misdemeanor in Amarillo, Texas, and a warrant was issued in the matter, according to the motion.
Alirez remains in custody at the San Miguel County Detention Center, after being booked into custody Nov. 8. In addition to two counts of first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, Alirez is charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, and one count of shooting at a dwelling.
Alirez is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court on Monday for a preliminary hearing.
