Trial begins for man charged with 2022 shotgun killing in Northeast Albuquerque

Derrik Bonner’s efforts to retrieve his lost property led him to break into two Albuquerque apartments in 2022 and fatally shoot a man with a shotgun, prosecutors told jurors Tuesday on the first day of his trial.

Both prosecution and defense attorneys told jurors that Bonner’s co-defendants will provide key testimony in the trial, scheduled to continue through Friday before 2nd Judicial District Judge Lucy Solimon.

Bonner, 31, is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated burglary and other charges in the Aug. 7, 2022, shooting death of 60-year-old David Salazar.

Albuquerque police found Salazar shot in the chest just inside the front door of his residence at Copper Ridge Apartments near Copper and Tramway NE, according to court records. He died at the scene. A single shotgun casing was found on the floor.

Bonner recruited two co-defendants to help him find and recover property that he believed had been stolen from him, prosecutor David Waymire said in opening statements Tuesday. Waymire didn’t describe the property Bonner was seeking.

“He was willing to break into apartments and, ultimately, willing to kill for that,” Waymire told jurors. The search led the three co-defendants to break into two Albuquerque apartments that morning, he said.

Bonner’s attorney, Ashley Reymore-Cloud, told jurors to be wary of the prosecution’s witnesses, who were complicit in the events that led to Salazar’s killing.

“Their star witnesses are actually the ones who set this in motion,” Reymore-Cloud said in opening statements.

Both of Bonner’s co-defendants pleaded guilty in August to criminal charges for their roles in Salazar’s death and have agreed to cooperate in prosecuting the other defendants under the terms of their plea agreements.

Maria Acosta, 45, whom prosecutors described as Bonner’s girlfriend, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary. She faces up to 10 years in prison in connection with Salazar’s death and a second burglary that morning.

Dustin Smith, 33, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and two other felony charges and faces up to five years of probation. Both Smith and Acosta are expected to testify in Bonner’s trial.

“You are going to hear from Maria Acosta, an addict who was dating David Salazar and getting drugs in exchange,” Reymore-Cloud told jurors. “She’s the one who actually sets this whole thing in motion. Think about that when she’s testifying, and think about her credibility issues.”

Both Smith and Acosta admitted in their plea agreements that they were with Bonner when the three forced their way into Salazar’s apartment. Bonner was armed with a shotgun, Smith with an ax handle and Acosta with a can of mace spray, the plea agreement said.

“David Salazar was home,” according to the plea agreements. “There was a verbal and physical altercation between Derrik Bonner and David Salazar. Derrick Bonner shot David Salazar with the shotgun.” The three then fled the scene, the agreements said.

Waymire told jurors he plans to show them security video from a church near Salazar’s apartment that shows the three co-defendants arrive at Salazar’s apartment complex and park.

In the video, Bonner can be seen retrieving a shotgun from the trunk of the car and changing into dark clothing and a mask before moving the car to a location closer to Salazar’s apartment, Waymire said. The video also shows the three co-defendants climb a flight of stairs to Salazar’s apartment, he said.