APD charges Santa Fe murder suspect for recent bank robbery in Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE – APD detectives charged Zachary Babitz for the July 31, 2024, robbery of a Wells Fargo bank in Northeast Albuquerque. Babitz has been identified by Santa Fe police as the suspect in its homicide investigation in which an elderly man was murdered during a carjacking on Aug. 6.
APD robbery detectives were investigating the July 31 robbery and attempting to determine the identity of the suspect when they learned about the murder in Santa Fe on Aug. 6. Detectives were told by Santa Fe police that the murder suspect was headed toward Albuquerque. Later that night, Santa Fe police shared the tentative identification of Babitz and the location in Albuquerque of the jeep he stole. Detectives established a perimeter around the vehicle and conducted surveillance.
During their surveillance, APD detectives learned additional details about Babitz’ physical appearance, current and previous home addresses and the gold colored Chevrolet Tahoe that was registered to Babitz. A robbery detective recognized the descriptors and description of the vehicle, which were consistent with witness accounts of the bank robbery on July 31.
Babitz was not located during the surveillance, but robbery detectives started investigating his background and searched license plate readers for the gold Chevrolet Tahoe. They learned that Babitz’ vehicle was in the area of the bank when it was robbed and he lived near the Wells Fargo, located at 11199 Montgomery Blvd., N.E.
APD detectives shared information with Santa Fe police and learned that Babitz was probation from an armed robbery conviction. He was required to wear a GPS ankle monitor, but cut it off prior to the murder in Santa Fe. However, he was wearing the monitor when the bank was robbed on July 31.
The GPS data confirmed Babitz was at the bank when it was robbed at 1:55 p.m. Detectives obtained photos of the bank robber and determined they matched photos from MVD and from jail booking slips.
Babitz is charged with armed robbery and tampering with evidence for the bank robbery.
Santa Fe police have charged Babitz for murder, armed robbery, unlawful taking of a vehicle or motor vehicle and felon in possession of a firearm.