Suspect arrested in fatal Taos stabbing

TAOS — A Taos man is accused of fatally stabbing a man through his ear and stabbing the man's brother in the head Tuesday evening in a small community near Ranchos de Taos.

Vicente Martinez, 45, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts each of aggravated battery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Taos County deputies responded Tuesday evening to a report of an unconscious man on Romero Lane off Old State Road 382 in Llano Quemado, where they discovered 53-year-old Abraham Fernandez dead with a stab wound to his left ear.

Fernandez's brother was also at the scene and had been stabbed in the head. The brother was treated at Holy Cross Medical Center before being released.

"The situation of this case was a situation of defendant's own making; defendant went to confront the Fernandez brothers and in the confrontation Abraham Fernandez was killed," states a pretrial detention motion filed in 8th Judicial District Court.

According to a news release from Taos County Sheriff Steve Miera, deputies learned the brothers had been conducting a site survey at a property they own on Romero Lane when they got into an argument with Martinez.

Deputies spoke with a witness on scene who said that he had met with the brothers at the property when he saw a van drive up, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Taos Magistrate Court.

The witness told deputies the brothers began yelling that they had been assaulted. Abraham Fernandez said he was feeling dizzy before he "suddenly collapsed to the ground" and blood came out of his ear, the affidavit states.

Deputies spoke with Martinez, who said he had walked up to the Fernandez brothers to confront them after the two allegedly harassed his grandfather and almost caused him to have a heart attack, according to the affidavit.

Deputies searched Martinez and found a box cutter in his possession. 

Martinez told deputies Abraham Fernandez struck Martinez first before he "struck both Fernandez brothers until they fell to the floor," the affidavit states. Martinez said he went to his mother's house nearby before he returned to try to give Abraham Fernandez CPR.

However, the surviving brother told deputies Martinez threw a can at Abraham Fernandez before the dispute escalated into a physical fight, according to the affidavit, with Martinez stabbing both men.

"I found that (Martinez) was the aggressor in the situation and instigated a physical altercation between the three parties and engaged in the altercation," a deputy wrote in the affidavit. "(Martinez) also stated he proceeded to the area with the intent of confronting the Fernandez brothers."

John Miller is the Albuquerque Journal’s northern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at jmiller@abqjournal.com. Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.