Saturday, January 10, 2009

Murder, stolen property charges are filed

Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com

Casa Colorada A Casa Colorada man has been arrested and charged with allegedly shooting and killing a friend Wednesday night over what police say was a large amount of stolen property.

Richard Downs Jr., 53, is charged with an open count of murder, receiving or transferring stolen property and a third charge of dismantling a stolen vehicle. Downs is accused of shooting and killing his friend, a 35-year-old man whose name has not been released until sheriff's deputies can notify his family of his death.

Downs, who will make his first court appearance in magistrate court in Belen on Monday, is being held in the Valencia County Adult Detention Center in Los Lunas on a $530,000 cash or surety bond.

Valencia County Sheriff Rene Rivera said deputies were called to 04 Sonnenburg Loop, located in Salomon Estates in Casa Colorada, Wednesday night just before 10 p.m. to a shooting. The sheriff said the shooting was initially reported as an accidental shooting or a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"When deputies arrived, they found the victim outside of the mobile home on the deck," Rivera said. "They (deputies) found a male subject performing CPR to the victim.

"Once they (the deputies) viewed the whole situation, they discontinued CPR because it was obvious that the man was already dead," Rivera said. The sheriff said the 35-year-old victim had been shot once in the chest.

Detectives, who were called to the scene that night, made the determination that the shooting was not accidental or as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot, but rather a homicide. Downs, who lived at the residence with the victim and several other people, was taken into custody and charged.

During their investigation at the property, detectives discovered what Rivera described as an array of stolen property and vehicles. In all, investigators found six stolen vehicles, two or three stolen motorcycles, several stolen ATVs, camping trailers, a motor home and other miscellaneous property that had been reported stolen.

The sheriff said detectives have been able to determine that the property has been reported stolen from victims throughout the Metro area, including Albuquerque.

"We believe that they (Downs and the victim) were possibly arguing over the stolen property," Rivera said. "They were friends and lived on the same property, and we believe that the two men were involved with each other regarding the stolen property."

Rivera said investigators believe they have recovered the alleged murder weapon — a .357 magnum handgun. The sheriff said other firearms were also found on the property.

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