Courthouse chaos: Family of slain woman attacks suspect during hearing in Albuquerque

A hearing for an accused murderer erupted in chaos Friday when the victim’s family attacked the suspect, leading to a courtroom melee that injured a corrections officer and saw both side’s families get in on the action.

Only the two who started the fight inside the 2nd Judicial District courthouse in Downtown Albuquerque are behind bars.

Carlos Lucero, 40, and Pete Ysasi, 51, are each charged with battery upon a peace officer and unlawful assault on a jail in the incident, fourth- and third-degree felonies, respectively. Lucero and Ysasi have been ordered released on their own recognizance.

Lucero’s mugshot showed he had one eye swollen shut and a cut to his face, while Ysasi’s face appeared untouched in his booking photo.

In courtroom video obtained by KRQE-TV, Lucero is seen jumping over a courtroom gate and attacking Alexander Ortiz, who is facing trial in the killing of Lucero’s niece, Alianna Farfan. Ortiz and the corrections officer beside him fall to the ground, and Lucero begins punching Ortiz. Ysasi is seen jumping the divider and joining Lucero.

In the video, Ortiz’s father walks briskly up to the scuffle and throws punches of his own at Lucero and Ysasi before several others from the gallery get involved. During the melee, according to police, Ysasi and Lucero struck a corrections officer trying to shield Ortiz from the attack.

The hearing for Ortiz was reset for Feb. 7 in front of Judge Cindy Leos, according to court records, with an attached note: “Security needed in courtroom.”

Ortiz has been behind bars since February 2024, when he was arrested in the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend, 23-year-old Farfan. After being booked into jail on that case, Ortiz was accused in the death of another woman outside an East Central convenience store.

Court records show Carlos Lucero and his wife were granted custody of Farfan’s 1-year-old daughter two months after the homicide.

On Friday, Bernalillo County deputies working at the courthouse were called around 9:30 a.m. to a fight in courtroom 420, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Deputies detained several people, including Ysasi and Lucero, who had “visible lacerations” from the scuffle.

Deputies said Lucero told them he didn’t want to talk but stated “he killed my niece like a coward” and “it was worth every moment.” Ortiz’s father told deputies he was trying to “break up the fight.”

The father, Lucero and Ysasi were all taken to a hospital to be treated before the pair were booked into MDC.