Bernalillo DA says he will personally prosecute killing of teen: 'Our juvenile criminal justice system is broken'

Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen and 2nd Judicial District Attorney Sam Bregman said they are angry with the amount of juvenile-related crimes they have been seeing.

At a Tuesday news conference at his headquarters Downtown, Allen had a warning for young criminals: “Don’t test us. We are going to come for you.”

The BCSO and DA’s office addressed juvenile crimes at the briefing, specifically the May killing of 16-year-old Jesus Quintana Cota that involved multiple teens and street racing.

Daniel Garcia, 18, Mariana Gomez-Salinas, 18, and Dominik Marquez, 17, have been charged with an open count of murder, kidnapping, robbery, conspiracy and tampering with evidence in Cota’s death.

Garcia and Gomez-Salinas were booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center, and Marquez was booked at the Youth Services Center.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, on May 19 deputies were dispatched to Pajarito and Escarpment SW after receiving a call from someone who found a body later identified as Cota.

A pretrial motion states that on May 18, Gomez-Salinas enticed Cota to ride with her to a lookout near Dennis Chavez and Atrisco Vista, where Garcia and Marquez were waiting to rob and attack him.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metro Court, Cota had been suspected of shooting at Garcia and Marquez in a previous incident.

Deputies said when Gomez-Salinas arrived with Cota, the men beat Cota up and loaded him into her vehicle. Deputies said Gomez-Salinas then picked up an older man, who has not been identified, and drove them all to Pajarito Mesa.

Gomez-Salinas told deputies everyone else got out of the vehicle, and she heard gunfire before everyone but Cota got back into the vehicle and they left, according to the complaint.

“I can say the callousness involved in this murder was eye-opening,” BCSO detective Cameron Carroll said Tuesday.

That callousness drew Bregman’s ire.

“This is another example of the terrible increase of violent crime among juveniles (in) our community,” he said. “Unfortunately, it is also a testament to the fact that our juvenile criminal justice system is broken. (The) charges in this case are as serious as it gets. Three teenagers are charged with first-degree murder.

“I will, together with my Chief Deputy District Attorney Natalie Lyon, be personally prosecuting this case.”

Allen and Bregman also said they were concerned about the increase in other crimes involving juveniles, including street racing and aggressive driving.

For example, Anthony Farias, 19, of Albuquerque was charged with aggravated fleeing of law enforcement officers after driving through a car wash and fleeing from deputies in Southwest Albuquerque last Thursday.

According to a criminal complaint, Farias previously posted videos on social media of him fleeing from law enforcement. Allen said people bragging on social media about running away from deputies not only puts them and the deputies in danger, but the community, as well.

“I take that seriously,” he said.

In April, BCSO started operations aimed at reducing drag racing and aggressive driving.

There are people who like to show off their cars, “which we encourage,” BCSO Sgt. Scott Magee said, but there are others that think “criminal activity is going to get the draw, so they highlight (the) activity.”

“It takes one small change in a chain of events for somebody to lose their life. Then that small crime becomes a felony, a homicide charge that you’re going to have to deal with,” he said. “We can assure you we are going to continue these operations.”

The recent juvenile crimes, Allen said, have led to the Juvenile Detention Center’s population increasing to the point that it is near capacity. He said there were 63 inmates as of Tuesday. The maximum is 65.

“Let me repeat,” Bregman said, “the juvenile justice system is broken and I’m asking the community, the Legislature and all of our partners in the criminal justice system to address this issue.”