Motive remains elusive as 14-year-old charged in Villanueva slayings
A 14-year-old Las Vegas boy has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the February killings of two men from Villanueva.
Enrique Duran-Garcia was arrested March 8 in Albuquerque. During a March 10 detention hearing in District Court in Las Vegas, Duran-Garcia was ordered to be held at the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center in Albuquerque.
New Mexico State Police confirmed Thursday the identities of the two men killed: Kevin A. Gutierrez, 32, and his father Guadalupe Gutierrez, 59.
Autopsy results showed Kevin had been shot five times and that Guadalupe had been stabbed six times and shot four times, according to an affidavit for arrest filed in District Court.
Both men were found dead inside a home in Villanueva Feb. 14 by a relative who’d gone to check on them after not seeing them for several days. The relative found the front door unlocked and spotted Guadalupe Gutierrez on the floor, surrounded in blood.
Upon searching the home, New Mexico State Police officers also located the body of Kevin Gutierrez. The home was in “disarray,” according to the affidavit, with blood, broken dishes and several 9 mm casings scattered around.
Witnesses reported seeing a large green car at the home several times throughout the week, one driven by a tall, slender man with long hair. With the help of the Las Vegas Police Department, investigators tracked down the man who owned the car.
The man, who has not been charged in the case, told police he’d spent the week “hanging out” with Kevin smoking meth. He said Duran-Garcia, who police say is the son of Kevin’s ex-girlfriend, contacted Kevin to say he wanted to stay with him because he’d run away from home. According to the affidavit, the man said Kevin gave a woman some meth to go pick up Duran-Garcia. The woman returned with Duran-Garcia and one of his friends, a 15-year-old boy from Las Vegas.
The boy — who is not identified in court records — told police he and Duran-Garcia had been picked up by the woman and taken to Kevin’s home where they smoked weed and played pool. After several hours, both boys hitchhiked to Las Vegas, according to the affidavit. He also said Duran-Garcia threatened to kill him if he “snitched” to the police.
Another of Duran-Garcia’s friends, a 14-year-old boy, told police that at some point in February, Duran-Garcia showed him a black pistol he had in a leather holster, and said it had “two bodies on it.” The teen also said Duran-Garcia had a box of foreign coins in a backpack, and that he gave him a coin from the box.
On March 8, State Police went to a home in Albuquerque where Duran-Garcia was staying with his legal guardian. Duran-Garcia told police he’d taken the gun from Kevin, but said the gun was still in Las Vegas. He also admitted he’d taken a coin collection from the Gutierrez home.
When asked who killed Kevin, Duran-Garcia admitted to grabbing Kevin’s gun and shooting him, but said he didn’t know how many times he fired. Duran-Garcia told police that the other juvenile stabbed Guadalupe. It is not clear if the other juvenile is facing any charges.
The police interview ended when Duran-Garcia’s guardian asked for an attorney. An arrest warrant was drafted, and Duran-Garcia was taken into custody.
Police have not provided a motive for the killings or said what events led to them. State Police last provided an update March 18, but would not include any further information when asked Monday by the Optic.
Duran-Garcia has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He also faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder, intimidating or threatening a witness, tampering with evidence, larceny of a firearm and larceny.
Prosecutors have filed a notice of intent to seek adult sanctions in the case, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday in District Court.
