ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Two men charged in the 2022 killing of a man near Albuquerque’s downtown bus depot are now accused of new murder charges in the shooting of a man on Candelaria earlier this week. The suspects, Melvin Robinson and Capser Rickords have been in custody since Monday night when they were arrested by Albuquerque’s SWAT team.
Albuquerque Police say the duo is responsible for fatally shooting Bradley Soza, 41, on Monday near the Ambassador Inn on Candelaria near I-25. The shooting happened around 1:39 a.m.
Police say surveillance video shows the victim, Soza, was limping along the south side of Candelaria when two men approached him. Police say video shows one man raised a gun to the victim’s head, while appearing to strike the victim more than once with a metal pole.
A second man is then said to have shot the victim, who fell to the ground, while the first man continued to hit the victim with the pole. Police say hours later, the victim was accidentally run over by a car, however, the Office of the Medical Investigator ruled the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the victim’s back.
According to a criminal complaint, detectives were able to identify Rickords and Robinson due to Robinson’s work as a security guard at the Ambassador Inn. Both men were said to have frequented the motel. Detectives also found a moped in the motel, which helped link the suspects in the Monday shooting on Candelaria with the October 2022 murder of Isaac Torres in downtown Albuquerque.
After Rickords and Robinson’ arrests Tuesday, detectives searched the hotel rooms both men were staying in at the Ambassador Inn. APD says detectives found live ammunition, cell phones, a duty belt and gun cleaning kit.
Rickords and Robinson were arrested at the Extend-a-Suite on Menual near University. There, detectives found two handguns, one with an extended magazine, five cell phones, and black body armor.
Robinson and Rickords both remain in custody at MDC. Each is facing murder charges in two different cases.
Speaking of the shooting along Candelaria, Robinson told detectives he was working security for the Ambassador Inn Monday when he spotted a man outside the motel, who they approached and told to leave. APD says both suspects admitted to investigators that they fired handguns at the victim and left him near the road.
