Man receives life sentence for 2019 double murder of Taos Pueblo father and son

A Taos man was sentenced to life in prison this week after a federal jury convicted him last year in the slayings of two Taos Pueblo men.

Joshua Gonzales, a 39-year-old non-tribal member, will not be eligible for parole as part of his sentencing for the 2019 killing of Antonio "Tony" Romero, 82, and his son, 51-year-old Buck Romero, at their home on Taos Pueblo.

Gonzales was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder on June 25, 2025, in U.S. District Court, six years after the Romeros were found beaten to death inside their residence on June 1, 2019.

The elder Romero was a spiritual leader at Taos Pueblo and a talented carpenter, while his son was an artisan and cook who loved to ski, according to family.

According to court records, Gonzales used a wooden table leg to bludgeon the victims to death and then hid their bodies under fencing wire inside the residence.

The Romeros were reported missing on May 30 that year, and Taos Pueblo Department of Public Safety officers discovered their bodies two days later while conducting a welfare check at the home.

The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated the murders with help from the Taos Pueblo Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Indian Affairs, New Mexico State Police, Española Police Department, Taos Police Department, Taos County Sheriff’s Department and the Albuquerque Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Probasco and Samuel A. Hurtado prosecuted Gonzales at trial, relying heavily on surveillance video, forensic evidence and cellphone records to link him to the crimes.

According to a news release issued Tuesday from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Gonzales was caught on a surveillance video attempting to flee the residence in one of the victims' vehicles before crashing into trees. He also used one of the Romeros' cellphones the morning after the murders before activating a new one.

Investigators found blood evidence, bone fragments, vehicle tracks and damaged fencing at the Romeros' residence in the days following the killings.

Several witnesses also testified against Gonzales, stating that he revealed key details about the crimes and threatened to kill one witness, a family member of the Romeros, if she approached the authorities. The family witness said Gonzales had a spare key he used to access the Romeros' home, though his motivation for the crimes remains unclear.

John Miller is the Albuquerque Journal’s northern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at jmiller@abqjournal.com.