Munford sentenced to life plus 25 years in 2021 shotgun killing

A man who was wearing a GPS ankle monitor when he fired a fatal shotgun blast through the door of an Albuquerque apartment was sentenced Tuesday to life plus 25 years in prison.

A jury in October convicted Devin Munford, 21, of first-degree murder and other charges in the April 23, 2021, shooting death of 22-year-old Devon Heyborne.

The life sentence alone requires Munford to serve at least 30 years in prison. The additional 25 years means Munford is unlikely to get a shot at parole for at least 47 years, Assistant Attorney General John Duran estimated.

Heyborne’s mother, Angelica Alire, expressed mixed emotions Tuesday after the sentencing.

“I’m relieved that he’s no longer going to be a threat to the community, but it still doesn’t bring me any peace,” Alire said.

Munford was on pretrial release for an earlier criminal case when he fired the fatal gunshot blast through the door of an Albuquerque apartment in the 800 block of Locust NE, just southwest of the Big I.

Heyborne’s killing by a man wearing a GPS monitor added fuel to a long-simmering debate about the effectiveness of court-ordered supervision of defendants released from custody while awaiting trial.

The 2nd Judicial District Court jury also convicted Munford of aggravated assault for firing a gunshot at a woman he didn’t know about two hours after Heyborne’s killing.

He was also convicted of armed robbery for holding up a convenience store two days after the killing. His other convictions were for tampering with evidence and two counts of conspiracy.

Munford made a brief statement moments before he was sentenced.

“I want to apologize to this family,” Munford said, glancing back at more than a dozen family members in attendance. “I wish I could change what happened.”

Alire said later that Munford’s apology seemed “coldhearted” and insincere.

Munford’s attorney, Camille Cordova, emphasized Munford’s youth when she asked the judge for a lenient sentence.

“He was three weeks past his 18th birthday when he started this route, and he never had the opportunity to learn right from wrong,” Cordova told the judge. “He’s not someone past all rehabilitation.”

District Judge Joseph Montano, who presided in the case, said he was struck by the premeditated nature of the killing and other acts of violence committed by Munford.

“There was premeditation because you went to that apartment and shot right through that door,” Montano said. “It didn’t sound like there was any confrontation. You knock, you shoot.”

Munford and Heyborne first met when the two were cellmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center. After their release, the two maintained an uneasy friendship, witnesses testified.

About a week before the killing, Munford and another man stole an AK-47 rifle from Heyborne, according to a complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Munford later returned the gun, but the incident created animosity between them.

Less than five hours before Heyborne’s killing, Munford reported to pretrial services to replace the battery in his GPS ankle monitor. The device allowed prosecutors to show jurors a map that tracked Munford’s driving trip to and from the murder scene.

About two hours after Heyborne’s killing, Munford fired a gunshot over the head of a woman at her Southeast Albuquerque apartment complex.

The woman testified that Munford fired the gunshot after she asked him to move a car parked behind her own vehicle, blocking her exit.

Munford was also convicted of armed robbery for holding up a 7-Eleven convenience store in the 5400 block of Kathryn SE on April 25, 2021, two days after Heyborne’s killing.

Jurors deliberated for less than two hours on Oct. 19 before convicting Munford of all six felony counts.

At the time he killed Heyborne, Munford was awaiting trial for shooting a pistol from a car and was under the supervision of the 2nd Judicial District Court’s Pretrial Services Division.

Munford pleaded guilty in August to a felony charge of shooting from a motor vehicle and faces up to three years in prison in that case. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30.

Before Munford’s release from jail on Jan. 4, 2021, a judge placed him on home arrest, ordered him to wear a GPS ankle monitor, and prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

Munford violated all those conditions during the nearly four months he was free from custody.

Testimony at Munford’s seven-day trial revealed that he violated his court-ordered conditions of release 113 times in the six weeks prior to Heyborne’s killing.

Alire filed a lawsuit last year, alleging that court personnel failed to properly supervise Munford while he was on pretrial release, resulting in her son’s death.

Defendants in that lawsuit, including Bernalillo County, the 2nd Judicial District Court and the Metropolitan Detention Center, filed a response on Oct. 5 denying the allegations.

Munford sentenced to life plus 25 years in 2021 shotgun killing