APD arrests mother, two teen children for October homicide
ALBUQUERQUE – APD detectives arrested a mother and her two, teen-age children today for the Oct. 18, 2023 murder of Santiago Roybal at an apartment located at 3210 Tulane Dr., N.E.
Detectives obtained an arrest on Monday for Raeanna Ruiz, 34. She was arrested this morning in Rio Rancho. Her two children, ages 16 and 15, were with her at the Rio Rancho home. They were also taken into custody.
Ruiz and her children were seen on video surveillance chasing Roybal on Oct. 18, shortly before 11 a.m., as he ran into an apartment complex, and into the apartment of a friend. The tenant of the apartment told detectives he let Roybal into his apartment and he was shot as he closed the door behind Roybal. He was shot in the stomach, but survived his wound.
The offender shot several rounds through the door, striking Roybal, as well. Roybal died at the scene. Video surveillance of the shooting includes audio of a female yelling, “Shoot through the door,” followed by four distinct gun shots. A male and female were seen running down the stairs and away from the apartment.
Additional video surveillance prior to the shooting shows Ruiz was driving the white SUV throughout the neighborhood attempting to locate Roybal. Videos shows the victim running from the white SUV occupied by the three people. The video shows a female armed with a firearm and the male armed with what appeared to be a blunt object. The 16-year-old daughter told detectives that she and her brother, armed with a baseball bat, chased Roybal up the stairs.
Phone and social media evidence captured evidence that suggests Ruiz told a friend Roybal was stealing something from her back yard prior to the shooting.
During her interview, the 16-year-old told detectives she suspected a man was stalking her and looking into her window in recent months. She said she spotted a man in the backyard, told her mother, and armed herself with a handgun. Her brother grabbed a bat and the three of them went looking for the man. Ruiz’s home was near the scene of the shooting.
Ruiz and her two children are charged with an open count of murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy. Ruiz will be booked tonight into the Metro Detention Center. Her children will be booked into the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center.
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