Through darkness, there will be light.
For years, Eric Carter-Landin diligently has worked to bring the light to some of New Mexico’s most heinous crimes via his podcast, “True Consequences.”
“A lot of true crime podcasts are weekly or biweekly,” he says. “I give myself some time to cover the entire story.”
After a long day at his day job, Carter-Landin will file inspection of public records requests to help navigate his research.
The podcast is a labor of love – one where the roots are especially close to Carter-Landin.
In April 1987, his mother was working her shift at a local grocery store in Socorro.
She had received a call from his grandmother stating that she needed to leave his baby brother Jacob somewhere so she could go to church.
“My mom only had an hour left on her shift and figured my brother could safely be left with her boyfriend at the time,” he writes. “Shortly after my brother was dropped off, my mom’s boyfriend runs frantically into her workplace to let her know my brother is on the way to the hospital.”
His brother later died.
Carter-Landin has covered his brother’s case in the podcast. During the episode, he speaks with his mom and walks through the details of the case.
“I am hoping that this episode will get people talking about the issue of child abuse in New Mexico,” Carter-Landin writes. “I did not initially want to release an episode about my brother because I was worried that it would be too intense. I now realize that by telling my story I am breaking my own stigma related to this issue and if this story can help one child, then it was all worth it.”
Carter-Landin says Jacob’s killer was never prosecuted for the crimes. The District Attorney has refused to prosecute over and over again. The case is cold and it is considered closed by the state police.
“A cold case investigator stated in a report that there was sufficient and clear evidence to secure a conviction,” he says. “The reasons for why the DA refused to prosecute, not once but twice are unclear to me. It is beyond frustrating knowing that a monster was allowed to brutally murder a baby and get away with it. There are many things that need to change with the justice system. Primarily, prosecutors need to stop trying cases in their mind.”
Jacob’s case is what pushed Carter-Landin to create the podcast.
“I’ve watched these child abuse cases and it seemed like every time a new one happened, it’s the same result,” he says. “I said I would do something about it. The podcast is a perfect way to honor my brother.”
Carter-Landin is getting ready to launch a new season on Feb. 6. He currently has 71 episodes up on trueconsequences.com.
Some of the cases he’s featured are the Torreon cabin murders in 1995 and the Hollywood Video murders that took place in 1996.
There’s an episode that takes a look one of the most famous outlaws – Billy the Kid.
Of course, Carter-Landin has delved into the high-profile cases of Robbie Romero, Baby Brianna, the New Mexico Prison riots, Tara Calico, the West Mesa murders and the Las Cruces bowling alley massacre. Each case has made national news over the years.
“Crimes like these are a huge problem here in New Mexico,” he says. “It’s something that keeps me up at night. I want to tell these stories. People need to remember these cases and be aware of what’s happening today.”
There are hours of research done before one episode is ready to record.
Carter-Landin spends about 50 hours to produce one episode at his Albuquerque-based studio.
“I really try to go as deep as possible, because there is so much misinformation that gets thrown around,” he says. “I work with direct sources. Season five is going to be all about Dylan Redwine, who has some New Mexico connections.”
Dylan Redwine’s father, Mark, was found guilty on charges of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death for his 2012 death in October.
Carter-Landin says his day job changed dramatically during the pandemic, which led him to be in the studio more.
With public records requests steadily coming in, he kept busy.
“It’s a different take on true crime,” he says. “I’m not doing ‘Dateline.’ I’m an empathetic person and it’s a unique approach. I want to highlight the problems with the system and help define the challenges that we have in the state.”
A look at five cases ‘True Consequences’ has spotlighted Online
Baby Brianna Lopez
Brianna Lopez, who is widely known as Baby Brianna, was born on Feb. 14, 2002. She was pronounced dead about five months later as a result of horrific abuse inflicted by her mother and father, Stephanie Lopez and Andy Walters, and her uncle, Steven Lopez.
Her injuries included two skull fractures, broken ribs, broken legs, a broken arm, 15 human bite marks and numerous bruises all over her body. And she had been sexually assaulted.
In September 2016, Brianna’s mother was released from prison after serving 13 years of 27-year sentence. Her uncle and father remain in prison, records show.
The state child abuse law named after Brianna was expanded in 2018 to include teenage victims.
Las Cruces Bowling Alley Massacre
The Las Cruces bowling alley massacre occurred in Las Cruces on Feb. 10, 1990. Seven people were shot, four fatally, by two unidentified robbers at the Las Cruces Bowl at 1201 E. Amador Ave. One victim died in 1999 due to complications from injuries sustained in the attack.
The gunmen shot the victims in an office, then set fire to a desk in the room and left the scene.
The case remains unsolved.
West Mesa Murders
The West Mesa murders are the killings of 11 women whose remains were found buried in 2009 in the desert on the West Mesa in Albuquerque. The women are believed to have gone missing between 2001 and 2005. Several suspects have been named, but none were arrested or charged, and a serial killer was believed to be responsible.
Tara Calico
Tara Calico disappeared near her home in Belen, on Sept. 20, 1988.
She is widely believed to have been kidnapped.
In July 1989, a Polaroid photo of an unidentified young woman and boy, gagged and seemingly bound, was televised to the public after it was found in a convenience store parking lot in Port St. Joe, Florida. Family friends thought the woman resembled Calico and contacted her mother, who then met with investigators and examined the Polaroid.
Calico’s case received extensive coverage on television programs and as of 2021, no arrests have been made and the case remains open.
Robbie Romero
On June 7 2000, 7-year-old Robbie Romero decided to walk a few blocks to his friend’s house at 2900 Bellamah in Santa Fe. This was an activity that he had regularly done, and his family didn’t think much of it as it was, after all, only a few blocks. Robbie never made it to his friend’s house and was never heard from or seen again.
According to the police file, Robbie was last seen by his brother Ronnie and Ronnie’s friend Ricky. Robbie’s mom, Evelyn told police and searchers that Robert was last seen wearing a blue muscle shirt and blue jean pants. He was described as 4 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing about 80 pounds. The case has never been solved.
Eric Carter-Landin has 71 episodes of his podcast “True Consequences” up at trueconsequences.com. The fifth season kicks off on Feb. 6.
