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Man convicted in 2022 killing at 1st and Central bus station
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Jurors on Thursday convicted Casper Rickords of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the 2022 shooting death of 19-year-old Isaac Torres.
Second Judicial District Judge Cindy Leos scheduled Rickords’ sentencing hearing for Aug. 7. The 23-year-old man faces a life sentence for the murder conviction, which requires him to serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole. He faces an additional 14 years in prison for the armed robbery conviction.
Albuquerque police found Torres fatally shot at the Alvarado Transportation Center at First and Central on Oct. 22, 2022, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.
Surveillance video showed Torres speaking with two men outside the Downtown bus station when one of the men pulled a gun and fired two shots at Torres, the complaint said.
The two men then left the scene together on a motor scooter.
Prosecutors said Rickords shot Torres in the forehead during a robbery, according to a statement from the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Rickords’ co-defendant, Melvin Robinson, 34, pleaded guilty in February to two counts of second-degree murder and other charges in Torres’ shooting death and a second killing about four months later.
Judge David Murphy sentenced Robinson on Tuesday to 40 years in prison.
Robinson also pleaded guilty on Feb. 6, 2023, to the shooting death of 41-year-old Bradley Soza near the Ambassador Inn at 1520 Candelaria NE.
