Man gets 18 years in 2018 fatal shooting

More than five years after two teenagers fatally shot a homeless man, a judge sentenced Anthony Gallegos to 18 years in prison for his role in the 2018 killing of Ronnie Ross.

Gallegos, 22, pleaded guilty in September to first-degree murder in Ross’ fatal shooting on March 18, 2018.

A prosecutor told a judge Tuesday that Gallegos acted with a second teenager to fatally shoot Ross, then attended a party at an Albuquerque hotel, where they told others about the shooting.

Gallegos’ codefendant, Timothy Chavez, 21, also pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced in September to 13 years in prison.

Ross, a 50-year-old member of the Navajo Nation from Shiprock, was shot 12 times in all, including five times to his head.

At the time of the shooting, Gallegos had just turned 17 and Chavez was 15.

The young ages of the shooters and the savagery of the attack shocked the community and called attention to the vulnerability of Albuquerque’s homeless population.

Albuquerque police found Ross riddled with bullets and lying in landscaping rocks in the 1200 block of Menaul NE, just west of Interstate 25.

Deputy District Attorney Collin Brennan said Tuesday that Gallegos and Chavez each played a different role in Ross’ killing.

Chavez fired the initial shots, severely injuring Ross, then returned to a party at an Albuquerque hotel, where he told Gallegos about the shooting.

The pair then returned to the scene, where Gallegos fired six fatal shots at Ross.

When Chavez fired the initial shots at Ross, early in the morning and in darkness, he “could have been startled by this individual,” Brennan told 2nd Judicial District Judge Courtney Weaks.

“What Mr. Gallegos experienced was something completely different,” Brennan said. “He chose to execute Ronnie Ross early in the morning on the side of the road.”

After the two teenagers returned to the scene, Gallegos “stands over him and continually shoots Ronnie Ross in the face over and over again,” Brennan said. “He shot his face multiple times and executed Mr. Ross.”

Gallegos apologized to members of Ross’ family during his sentencing hearing.

“I’m gonna take this opportunity to let the victim’s family know that I am truly sorry for the pain my involvement has caused you,” Gallegos said by video from the Metropolitan Detention Center.

“I am truly sorry for the family, for the community and for myself,” he said.

Gallegos’ attorney, Ashley Reymore-Cloud, told the judge that Gallegos experienced an abusive childhood and ran away from home at a young age.

“He was trying to develop survival skills on the street,” Reymore-Cloud told the judge. “That’s not a good place for a juvenile to be. And unfortunately, we see it time and time again.”

She also noted Gallegos and Chavez had used Xanax and alcohol before the killing.

“In fact, all the kids and people that had rented that hotel room were all doing drugs and partying,” Reymore-Cloud said.