Jury convicts man of first-degree murder in home intrusion killing

A jury found Derrik Bonner guilty of first-degree murder and other felonies Friday for fatally shooting a man with a shotgun shortly after breaking into a Northeast Albuquerque apartment in 2022.

Prosecutors said Bonner shot 60-year-old David Salazar in the back after Bonner and two co-defendants forced their way into Salazar’s apartment.

Prosecutors said Bonner, 31, recruited the co-defendants to help him find and recover property that he believed had been taken from him. Together, the three forced their way into two Albuquerque apartments, resulting in Salazar’s killing.

Bonner faces a minimum of 30 years in prison before he becomes eligible for parole for the conviction.

Salazar was a retired electrician and retired traffic engineer for the City of Albuquerque, his siblings said after 2nd Judicial District Judge Lucy Solimon read the verdicts Friday morning. Jurors began deliberations midday Thursday.

“We feel like justice prevailed, and we think the state did an excellent job with their presentation,” said Salazar’s sister, Kathy Kelley.

“I wish they were all three on trial,” she said of Bonner’s co-defendants.

Both of Bonner’s co-defendants pleaded guilty in August to criminal charges for their roles in Salazar’s death on Aug. 7, 2022.

Maria Acosta, 45, described by prosecutors as Bonner’s girlfriend, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary and faces up to 10 years in prison.

Dustin Smith, 33, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and two other felony charges and faces up to five years of probation.

Both Smith and Acosta testified in Bonner’s trial under the terms of their plea agreements.

Prosecutors said the three also broke into a woman’s Albuquerque apartment before they drove to Salazar’s residence at the Copper Ridge Apartments near Copper and Tramway NE.

Bonner’s attorney, Ashley Reymore-Cloud, told jurors last week that Smith and Acosta were both complicit in events surrounding Salazar’s death and warned jurors to be skeptical of their testimony.

“Their star witnesses are actually the ones who set this in motion,” Reymore-Cloud said in opening statements.

Both Smith and Acosta admitted in their plea agreements that they were with Bonner when the three forced their way into Salazar’s apartment. Bonner was armed with a shotgun, Smith with an ax handle and Acosta with a can of Mace spray, the plea agreement said.

Prosecutors alleged that Bonner and Salazar argued and fought before Bonner shot Salazar in the back.

Jurors also found Bonner guilty of two counts each of aggravated burglary and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary.