ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Elizabeth Ortiz-Chavez, the Albuquerque mother accused of letting her teenage son take the fall for her role in a murder, will stay in jail until trial. Ortiz-Chavez is accused of setting up a downtown fight between her 16-year-old and another 16-year-old in March 2022.
Police originally arrested the son, Angel Baldonado, for shooting and killing the other teen, Josue Ruiz, who was dating Baldonado’s sister. Witness reports came to light that suggested Baldonado’s mother committed the shooting. Baldonado’s brother told a friend online that’s what happened and Baldonado himself later told that to investigators.
Ortiz-Chavez’s attorney argued that the reports are hearsay at Thursday’s hearing. “Almost the entire complaint is actually the conversations on social media between other participants,” said Ashley Reymore-Cloud, defense. She also pointed toward Ortiz-Chavez’s lack of criminal history.
Meanwhile, the state pushed her for her detention until trial. “We have her own words and her own children are sick about how she can allow her son to take the full blame and say nothing,” said Jolanna Macias, prosecutor.
The judge agreed with the state and said there are signs of alarming behavior. “Ms. Ortiz-Chavez was at least involved in arranging a physical fight between children, went with her children to engage in this physical fight at the very least, which alone, I can’t quite understand as a mother,” said Judge Jennifer Wernersbach.
On top of that, Ortiz-Chavez is charged with having child porn after detectives in the homicide case search her phone and found sexually explicit images of children. Judge Wernersbach ordered Ortiz-Chavez to stay locked up until trial.
