ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A new twist in a year-old murder investigation. An Albuquerque mother is now arrested for a murder her son was accused of a year earlier. Elizabeth Ortiz-Chavez, 47, is facing murder charges for a shooting that left a teenager dead.
Court documents state that on March 4 of 2022, Albuquerque police got a ShotSpotter alert near Central and Gold in Downtown. When officers arrived, they found Josue Ruiz,16, dead in an alley with a gunshot wound to his head.
A few months later, police arrested Angelo Baldonado, then-16, for the murder. The criminal complaint said Ruiz was dating Baldonado’s sister, but they didn’t like each other and met up at the alley to fight.
Now, Ortiz-Chavez, Baldonado’s mother, is being accused of the murder. Documents stated that while Baldonado was in jail, he had conversations with his mother.
During those conversations, Baldonado told Ortiz-Chavez to not testify in court because she would have to answer any questions made. Baldonado also told her that he needed her out of jail to care for his own children. At one point, Ortiz-Chavez even said that she was the reason Baldonado was in jail.
The documents stated Baldonado’s older brother told a friend on Facebook that his mother and Baldonado drove to meet Ruiz the day of the shooting. He said Ruiz tried to pull out a gun, but Ortiz-Chavez shot him first and Baldonado took the blame.
The criminal complaint claimed detectives spoke to Baldonado on April 6, 2023, because he requested to no longer get visits from his mother. When asked why, he admitted to being set up by his mother for the crime.
Ortiz-Chavez was charged with murder Friday and had her first hearing but did not speak. The state has filed for a pre-detention hearing.
Ruiz’s family released a statement Monday, saying they are devastated over his loss and are happy with the latest development in the case.
While Ortiz-Chavez was being investigated for the murder charge, detectives found child pornography on her phone. She’s facing a charge for that too.
News 13 doesn’t know if the charges for Baldonado have been dropped. However, his next pre-trial conference has been canceled.
