Man stabbed to death in Artesia

ARTESIA, N.M. (KRQE-KBIM) - An Artesia man is dead after being stabbed in the middle of the night and police say the stabbing is connected to a July incident where two young girls were struck by the victim's car.

The victim has been identified as Sammy Gutierrez, 45.

Police said Gutierrez and Matthew Hoerath were in a car that hit the girls along the river near Sitting Bull Falls north of Carlsbad on July 5.

When police pulled the two over, Gutierrez was behind the wheel. However, witnesses later told police that Hoerath was driving the car when it hit the girls.

Hoerath was eventually charged with his second DWI and causing great bodily injury by vehicle.

Police are calling Hoerath a person of interest in the murder of Gutierrez.

Gutierrez was stabbed in the back outside his mother's home off the 1300 block of West Yucca around 1:00 a.m.

Police are questioning a suspect but would not confirm who the suspect is.

No one has been charged yet, but police said they expect the investigation to flush out all the details.

"It is sad to see someone has to lose their life over something probably not really worth it, we are going to do everything we can to make sure that the person who did this is brought to justice," Artesia Police Department Sgt. Lindell Smith said.