Dead robber had woman's death in his past

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - There were least four gunshots that rang out from inside Spectrum Smoke Shop near 98th Street and Sage Road during an attempted robbery Friday. Police say all of the shooting was from the clerk behind the counter.

Police say Ramon Sedillo, 29, and Daryl Martinez, 17, walked into the store and pulled out a gun. Investigators watched the security footage and said the clerk kept a "cool head" while Sedillo pointed the weapon at him.

"We do not believe that Mr. Sedillo had an opportunity to actually fire rounds," said Officer Robert Gibbs of the Albuquerque Police Department.

The clerk had his pistol ready.

"Everybody knew him to carry a firearm, unconcealed, which is legal," Gibbs said. "And not only did he carry it, he practiced with it."

Sedillo was shot in the head ending a life of crime.

Sedillo first showed up on KRQE's radar back in 2003 when he and two friends snatched an 89-year-old woman's purse outside a North Valley Smith's grocery store.

She was knocked to the ground and later died. Sedillo and his friends were charged with murder.

In court, the defense argued the murder charges were unjustified. Instead of murder, Sedillo was convicted of robbery and sentenced to five years in prison.

He's been in and out of prison for the past decade.

Police say they know how Sedillo met his teen accomplice in the smoke shop robbery.

"We feel that Mr. Martinez is affiliated, not associated, but affiliated with that same gang, and we feel that's the connection," said Gibbs.

Martinez, who was shot in the stomach and arm, drove himself to the hospital after the robbery attempt. He's still in the hospital and faces robbery charges.

The Spectrum Smoke Shop is now closed and moving because of crime in the area, according to the owner.

Albuquerque police say Martinez, was on probation. The state Children, Youth and Families Department would not discuss his criminal past.