A New Mexico man was sentenced to life in prison in connection with a 2023 carjacking that led to a fatal shooting on Fort Bliss property, authorities said.
Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Guaderrama sentenced 23-year-old Brayden Matthew Alvarado of Vado, New Mexico, to life in prison plus five years on one count each of kidnapping resulting in death and carjacking resulting in death, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons announced in a news release.
A federal jury convicted Alvarado on the two charges on Aug. 14. Alvarado was sentenced on Wednesday, June 3, at the Albert Armendariz Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Downtown El Paso. The kidnapping conviction carries a mandatory life in prison sentence.
The charges were in connection with the death of Abel Patrick Tarin, 43, of Las Cruces, who was fatally shot with a 12-gauge shotgun and his body was later found in a desert area on Fort Bliss property.
Las Cruces man’s body found on Fort Bliss property
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated after a body was found in a desert area on the post near Railroad Drive on Dec. 13. An autopsy was performed two days later and identified the body as Tarin.
The autopsy conducted by the U.S. Armed Forces Medical Examiner found “shotgun pellets and part of ashotgun wad (plastic interior part of a shotgun shell)” from Tarin’s skull, a federal complaint affidavit states.
Tarin had previously been reported missing by the Las Cruces Police Department and Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office.
Tarin left his home about 9 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2023, in Las Cruces. A witness told officers they last saw Tarin’s vehicle, a 2018 silver GMC Yukon, at Burn Lake in Las Cruces. The witness reported they saw another man by the vehicle on the passenger side. His mother reported him missing after Tarin did not come home or go to work the next day.
Investigators found Tarin’s vehicle, which had been towed and impounded in El Paso, on Dec. 6, 2023. They searched the vehicle and found “blood evidence and the discovery of a gunshot hole on the interior, as well as several fingerprints belonging to Alvarado,” the news release states. Shotgun pellets also were retrieved from within the vehicle, the affidavit states.
Victim begged for his life
Alvarado was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting on Dec. 22, 2023. FBI El Paso agents interviewed Alvarado about the shooting.
He told the agents that he set up a meeting with Tarin with the intent to steal Tarin’s vehicle, the affidavit states. Tarin picked up Alvarado and drove to Burn Lake. Alvarado used the shotgun to threaten Tarin.
Tarin was in the backseat when Alvarado drove off with the vehicle. Alvarado drove them to El Paso, during which Tarin “begged for his life and asked that he not be harmed,” the affidavit states.
Alvarado stopped the car at a park in Northeast El Paso before driving to a nearby desert area. Alvarado loaded the shotgun with several rounds and fired at Tarin, the affidavit states. He dragged Tarin’s body out of the vehicle and dumped it near a thorn bush, the affidavit states.
He admitted he continued to use Tarin’s vehicle for the next several days until it was unexpectedly towed, the affidavit states.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Affidavit: Victim begged for life in fatal Las Cruces carjacking
Reporting by Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
