Couple charged with trying to kill driver in Santa Fe County; man expected to recover

Two people are accused of trying to kill a man after a dispute concerning the custody of a 4-month-old boy in Santa Fe County on Tuesday.

Justin Harris, 34, of Cundiyo is charged with attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery, false imprisonment and concealing identity. Delila Harris, 32, also of Cundiyo, is charged with attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery, false imprisonment and concealing identity.

They are being held at the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center. It is unclear if they have an attorney.

Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Womack-Avila said Delila Harris and her husband, Justin Harris, were arrested without incident on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

According to court records, Justin Harris has an initial appearance scheduled for Nov. 14 on charges of nonresidential burglary and criminal damage of property over $1,000. He is also on pretrial release after allegedly trying to break into a vehicle at a Walmart parking lot in Española.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed at Santa Fe Magistrate Court, a man told deputies that a “tall, little skinny dude” — later identified as Justin Harris — shot him in the head and stomach on Tuesday. The victim is expected to recover.

The affidavit said at 1:15 a.m. Tuesday, the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office received a call of someone being shot in the head on Camino Los Ranchos in Chimayó. When they arrived, they saw a man sitting on a kitchen chair with a gunshot wound to the face. He told deputies he did not know what happened or who shot him before being taken to a Santa Fe hospital.

Deputies said the victim later told them he recently learned he was the father of Delila Harris’ child. The victim told police Justin Harris and Delila Harris were at the man’s grandfather’s house to talk about the boy before Justin Harris and Delila Harris asked for a ride home.

According to the affidavit, after the man was shot in the truck, he was heard stating, “This is gonna be more problems for me in the future. If you guys don’t get him, he might end up getting killed or injured in the future. And (inaudible) crazy ass people trying to kill me, trying to get at me.”

The man told deputies a woman offered money to “many people” — including Justin Harris — to kill him because the unidentified woman did not want him to testify regarding a previous incident where the man had been kidnapped and shot.

Deputies said he told them Justin Harris passed him a cigarette before he heard a “boom” and recalled a “ringing” in his ears. A witness told deputies the man and Justin Harris then got out of the truck and she heard two more gunshots.

The affidavit states Delila Harris and Justin Harris left, then the witness drove off.

Deputies said they were able to find Delila Harris wearing bloody clothing near N.M. 503, where she lied about her name. It is unclear where Justin Harris was arrested.