E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Journal North: Home | Sports | Opinion | Obits | Entertainment
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Teen Arrested in Killing; Cops Suspect Gang Link
By Vic Vela
Journal Staff Writer
A 16-year-old Santa Fe boy is in custody in connection with an alleged gang-related incident that turned deadly Sunday night, leaving another teenager killed.
Police arrested Jonathan Villesange, also known as John in some court documents, outside his home Monday afternoon after witnesses said he was involved in the slaying of Pedro Maldonado, 18, who was shot in the neck in the parking lot of an apartment complex the night before, according to Capt. Gary Johnson.
An arrest warrant for another suspect in Sunday's night's shooting also has been issued. Police were looking for that person — a male in his 20s — Monday.
But Johnson said they believe the trigger man is Villesange. “Information we have at this point is that he was the suspect who fired the shot,” Johnson said. “But we're still in the process of interviewing people to determine that.”
In 2006, Villesange, then 13, was charged with shooting a 15-year-old in the leg at a bus stop near DeVargas Middle School. He told a judge that he was trying to scare off a rival for a girl and his attorney said he meant to fire warning shots.
Earlier this year, state District Court Judge Barbara Vigil sentenced Villesange to a year's probation for violating probation and for battery after an assault charge was dismissed. He was ordered to complete his GED.
He also signed a document agreeing to an 8 p.m. curfew, to attend counseling, not possess weapons and “not associate with individuals prohibited by my probation officer, including “gang/negative peers.”
Sunday night, police arrived at the Sangre De Cristo Apartments, 1801 Espinacitas St., about 10:30 p.m. Sunday after first receiving a report of a fight there, followed by another report of shots being fired. An officer found a group of people standing in the parking lot with Maldonado's body lying nearby.
Maldonado died before paramedics arrived, Johnson said.
Several people fled the scene when police arrived, but officers were able to catch up with two people who were trying to run away. Those individuals were interviewed at police headquarters, leading police to believe that Villesange was one of two men who had guns in their possession at the time of Maldonado's slaying, according to Johnson.
Police were waiting at Villesange's home in the 1300 block of Santa Rosa Drive at 2:15 p.m. Monday when he drove up to the residence. He was arrested without incident.
Villesange was charged with an open count of murder, conspiracy and tampering with evidence.
Johnson said rival gangs tied to the Cedeno 13 and West Side crews were involved in the fight that led up to the shooting.
In addition to the second person police were looking for Monday, others could also be arrested in connection with the incident, Johnson said.
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
