Trial begins for man charged in Pokémon Go killing

A day after a woman was shot and killed while playing Pokémon Go with her boyfriend, Izaiah Garcia told a friend he thought he was shooting at a longtime rival when he fired the fatal gunshots, a witness testified Tuesday at Garcia’s trial.

Garcia, 23, is charged with first-degree murder and other crimes in the 2019 shooting death of 21-year-old Cayla Campos at a Northeast Albuquerque park.

Testimony began Tuesday in the 2nd Judicial District Court trial. The trial is scheduled to continue through Monday before Judge Joseph Montano.

The trial marks Garcia’s second murder trial in less than a year.

Garcia was sentenced in March 2023 to life plus 2½ years in prison after a 2nd Judicial District Court jury convicted him of first-degree murder in another 2019 fatal shooting.

In that case, Garcia shot 17-year-old Sean Markey, a Sandia High School student, as Markey was waiting for a ride outside a school homecoming party on Sept. 29, 2019.

In the Campos killing, prosecutors allege that Campos was an innocent bystander who was fatally shot by Garcia as she tried to drive away from the scene of a robbery at Bianchetti Park, near Chelwood Park and Lomas NE.

Jurors heard testimony Tuesday from a man who said he and Garcia were robbing a group of teenagers when Campos happened to drive up on the scene.

Campos and her boyfriend were playing Pokémon Go at the park when they drove up on a red Mustang and a second vehicle parked in the middle of the street, police wrote in a criminal complaint.

One man was pointing a gun at the driver of the Mustang while a second man was removing items from the car, the complaint said.

Garcia’s co-defendant, Gabriel Marquez, told jurors Tuesday that he stole a bag of chicken nuggets and a Louis Vuitton belt from the Mustang when Campos pulled up.

Campos attempted to flee by making a “k-turn” on Granite NE and speeding away, Marquez testified.

“That’s when Izaiah started running after (the car),” Marquez said. Garcia repeatedly struck the rear window of Campos’ car with the barrel of an assault rifle, he said.

“Next, he started shooting at the vehicle,” Marquez told jurors. Garcia fired five to seven gunshots at Campos’ car as it sped away, he said.

At least one of those gunshots struck Campos, who moments later crashed her car into a house on Granite NE. Campos died at the scene.

Prosecutor John Duran asked Marquez what he thought when he saw Garcia shooting at the car.

“This guy is crazy,” Marquez responded.

Prosecutors allege that the intended target in both fatal shootings was Christian Mattock, 21. Jurors last year found Garcia guilty of aggravated assault for shooting at Mattock at the scene of Markey’s killing.

Marquez told jurors that he spoke with Garcia by phone a day after Campos was killed. In that conversation, Garcia said he believed he had been shooting at Mattock’s vehicle, Marquez said.

“That was when he told me that somebody passed away,” Marquez testified. “He said it was a random person, and it wasn’t Christian.”