Son of FBI agent dies in cell at Metropolitan Detention Center

An FBI agent’s son, charged in the killing of a 13-year-old boy, died in his cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center early Wednesday.

Thomas John Acee, 21, was found unresponsive at the jail around 4:27 a.m., according to a news release from Daniel Trujillo, MDC spokesperson.

“MDC staff, alongside the UNM Hospital medical team, swiftly responded and began administering life-saving measures,” Trujillo said. “Despite these efforts, he was pronounced deceased at 4:48 a.m.”

Acee had been behind bars since December 2024, when he was charged with an open count of murder and other charges in the Aug. 18, 2024, death of Michael Tubb.

Acee’s family declined to comment. His former attorney, John McCall, did not respond to calls for comment.

No cause of death was given for Acee.

According to Jayme Gonzales, spokesperson for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, it is unknown if the nature of the death was suspicious. BCSO will investigate the circumstances surrounding Acee’s death and the cause will be determined by the Office of the Medical Investigator.

Acee is the fifth person to die at MDC or die after being injured or falling ill at the facility in the past seven months, and the 37th such death since 2020. The majority of those who have died were detoxing at the time.

Acee is the son of FBI agent Bryan Acee, a law enforcement officer known for making high-profile cases against groups like the Aryan Brotherhood and the Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico, one of the state’s most violent gangs — largely dismantled by the FBI.

When he was first booked into MDC, and because of his familial ties, Thomas Acee was in a cell by himself and was not allowed to be around other inmates.

The most recent booking information on MDC’s website showed Thomas Acee had been in the Restrictive Housing Unit.

Thomas Acee’s trial in the homicide case was set to begin early next year, according to online court records. In that case, Acee allegedly shot into a vehicle in Downtown Albuquerque, believing someone who previously robbed him was inside. At least one of those bullets struck Tubb, killing him.