Las Cruces man charged in arson

LAS CRUCES — A Jan. 12 fire at an apartment complex has resulted in the arrest of a man accused of wielding an incendiary device known as a Molotov cocktail.

The early morning fire in the 1900 block of South Telshor Boulevard was quickly extinguished by the Las Cruces Fire Department, which was dispatched at about 4:30 a.m. A fire was active at a second-floor apartment and was brought under control in a matter of minutes, according to LCFD. The apartment’s occupant was reportedly present at the time but no injuries were reported. The property damage was estimated at $5,000.

On Wednesday, the LCFD said Richard Sepulveda, 47, had been arrested and charged with "possession of an unregistered firearm (Molotov cocktail)."

An investigation determined the fire had been “intentionally set” and deemed an act of arson, with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives now involved. A search of the scene produced a 40-ounce Miller High Life bottle holding liquid that smelled of gasoline with evidence of fire residue on the bottle’s neck, according to a federal complaint unsealed Thursday.

The complaint states a neighbor’s security camera recorded footage of Sepulveda moving to a stairway near the entrance to the first-floor apartment he leases and walking upstairs holding two bottles, followed by an orange flash while he is out of view. 

The video allegedly shows Sepulveda re-enter camera range holding “what appeared to be a lit Molotov cocktail,” attempt to adjust the strip of material serving as a wick and ignite “a second, smaller fire on the first floor" in the process.

The defendant allegedly left camera range again with the device, returning empty-handed shortly afterward and attempting to extinguish the second fire.

A search warrant executed at Sepulveda’s apartment allegedly produced shoes matching ones he was seen wearing in the video, with burn marks; “5-lighters,” a term for high-powered lighters often used to light Molotov cocktails; and two bottle caps matching the commercial brand displayed on the bottles.

Jail records indicate Sepulveda was arrested by ATF officers and booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was set to make his initial appearance in federal court Friday morning.

Algernon D’Ammassa is the Journal’s southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.