Albuquerque couple charged in fatal shooting

A couple is accused of fatally shooting a man Tuesday after a fight over a paid sexual encounter with another man.

James Young, 45, is charged with an open count of murder, tampering with evidence, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in the death of Nathan Loos. Shirley Juras, 48, is charged with one count of robbery and conspiracy to commit a felony.

The two were booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on Tuesday and do not yet have attorneys. 

Albuquerque police officers were dispatched around 2:15 a.m. to a residential area near Zuni and Wyoming SE after receiving a call that a man in an RV — later identified as Young — had shot another man — Loos — in an SUV, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

A gunshot detection device indicated that two rounds were fired in the area around 2 a.m., the complaint states.

The caller told dispatchers that that SUV crashed into a wall and had not moved. The caller also said the man in the SUV said that Young had stolen his wallet, cellphone and gun, according to the complaint.

Officers arrived and found Loos with a gunshot wound to the neck, the complaint states. He died at the scene.

While searching the scene, police found credit cards and a driver’s license belonging to Loos. Moments later, Young and Juras approached officers and said they were concerned “with what happened," the complaint states.

Juras told police she was planning to meet with Loos in exchange for money because she needed cash to make payments on the RV she was buying, according to the complaint. She told officers she and Young lived in the RV. 

“She said the male began being aggressive towards her and it made her uncomfortable so she ended the date with the money he gave her,” the complaint states. “She said the male was pushing her so she got in the RV and left while the male chased her down the road, telling her to give him his money back.”

“Juras said she agreed to exchange sexual favors for $1,000, but Loos only gave her $300,” said Gilbert Gallegos, spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department, in a Wednesday news release. “She said she did not engage in any sexual favors and took the $300, leaving in the RV with Young.”

Police spoke with Young, who said that Loos went “berserk” and followed the two once they left, the complaint states.

Young told detectives he shot Loos twice once they reached the 200 block of  Vermont SE, between Zuni and Trumbull, Gallegos said.

Young told police he believed Loos was trying to reach for something, which made him shoot, according to the complaint.

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.