Jury convicts ABQ man of second-degree murder in 2022 road-rage shooting death

Jurors convicted an Albuquerque man this week in a case that prosecutors described as a fatal road-rage shooting that killed 50-year-old Jessie Lovato in 2022.

Prosecutors alleged that Tristan Salais, 26, was driving a car east on Montaño NW when he opened fire with a handgun at Lovato, who was driving in the same direction just east of the Rio Grande.

A jury convicted Salais of second-degree murder on Thursday following a four-day trial in 2nd Judicial District Court before Judge Brett Loveless. His sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.

Lovato was struck in the neck by a single gunshot and crashed shortly after 5 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2022, according to a criminal complaint filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court. Other gunshots struck the door of Lovato’s pickup.

A Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office deputy was driving west on Montaño when he saw Lovato’s Ford F-350 crashed into a wall. The deputy made a U-turn to get to the crash scene and saw another vehicle about 50 feet to the east, later identified as Salais’ Volkswagen Jetta, the complaint said.

Salais told deputies he was driving east on Montaño when he saw the Ford F-350 driving recklessly and swerving between lanes, attempting to cut off a gray Toyota Prius before crashing, the complaint said.

As deputies were investigating the crash, Salais sped away from the scene, the complaint said. Several hours later, Salais’ parents arrived at the scene and asked deputies if their son was involved, it said.

Security video showed that Lovato’s truck and Salais’ car both crossed Coors going east on Montaño at around 5:08 a.m. with an 8-second difference, the complaint said. No other vehicles were in the area at the time, it said.

A ShotSpotter gunshot detection device near the area of Rio Grande NW captured four gunshots and a loud crash on audio at around 5:09 a.m., according to the complaint.