Suspect charged in random killing of homeless man in Downtown Albuquerque

A 22-year-old man from Los Lunas is accused of shooting a homeless man “execution-style” for no apparent reason last year in Downtown Albuquerque.

Angelendo Padilla is charged with an open count of murder in the Aug. 25 killing of 51-year-old Christopher Sanchez.

Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said New Mexico State Police arrested Padilla on Friday in Meadow Lake, a community near Los Lunas.

During an interview with APD detectives, Padilla “admitted to shooting Sanchez,” Gallegos said.

“Padilla said he told Sanchez to ‘stop doing drugs’ and that Sanchez told him to ‘kill him.’ Padilla said he shot him,” he said.

Padilla has been booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Prosecutors filed a motion to keep Padilla behind bars until trial, saying, “he treated the incident with a callous disregard for human life.”

An online obituary said Sanchez, a father, was “a free spirit” with a passion for art and loved using a tattoo gun.

“Christopher will be remembered for his charming and caring nature, his warm smile and gentle kindness,” the obituary states.

Officers working Downtown heard a gunshot around 1:35 a.m. and found Sanchez in a pool of blood on Second SW, just south of Central, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Sanchez had been shot once in the top of the head, and a single .45 caliber bullet casing was found nearby.

“There was no suspect, witness or vehicle information,” the complaint states.

Police said a detective used dozens of Downtown cameras to home in on the only person seen in the area at the moment the shooting occurred. The detective traced the suspect from fleeing the shooting to meeting up with friends and walking down Central.

As the group moved along Central, the suspect’s face and clothing were visible, according to the complaint, and the detective was able to identify two people walking with the suspect.

Police said they executed a search warrant on the friend’s phone and found photos of the suspect, identifying him as Padilla through tattoos and physical features. Further phone searches turned up messages in which Padilla told friends he was in an “(expletive) situation” and talking about his gun, a .45 caliber.

“In addition to (Padilla) having the same clothing as the suspect fleeing the homicide scene, he also owns the same caliber of firearm used,” the complaint states.