ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The man convicted of killing an Albuquerque woman in her driveway in 2019 will be sentenced at the end of the month. Jurors found Luis Talamantes-Romero guilty of eight crimes on April 26, including first-degree-murder in the death of Jacque Vigil.
Court records indicate a New Mexico judge has now set a May 31 sentencing date for Talamantes. Prosecutors with the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office say Talamantes faces life in prison plus 31.5 years.
Jurors convicted Talamantes in trial after hearing from 15 witnesses across six days of testimony in April. Prosecutors say Talamantes killed Vigil, 55, in the early morning hours of November 19, 2019. Vigil was in the driver’s seat of her car, backing out of the driveway of her northwest Albuquerque home when she was shot.
Following his sentencing in the state murder case, Talamantes is expected to face sentencing in a federal immigration case stemming from January 2020. Federal court documents show Talamantes was arrested by Immigration and Customs in San Antonio on January 21, 2020. A citizen of Mexico, Talamantes had been deported from the U.S. previously in 2006, 2008 and 2019, according to federal documents.
In May 2020, Talamantes pleaded guilty to the immigration charge. Months later, in August, federal court filings revealed Talamantes was the prime suspect in Vigil’s murder. Federal court documents indicate Talamantes could face up to a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for the immigration charge.
