Matthew Chavez identified as 2021 homicide victim, suspect arrested
Santiago Silva identified as suspect for 2021 murder of homeless victim
Matthew Chavez Death – Santiago Silva was detained by APD homicide investigators on Tuesday and charged with the murder of a homeless man who was killed in an altercation in an alleyway behind the Quick Track petrol station at 1720 Central Ave., S.E. in 2021. In the early morning hours of July 29, 2021, Silva can be seen on surveillance footage meeting up with another person who arrives in a red Pontiac while walking in the alley. Before the driver gets back into the car, Silva, the driver, and the victim later identified as Matthew Chavez are seen conversing.
Information in details
Silva, who was 17 at the time, and Chavez, 23, can be seen on video talking while Silva takes a revolver out of the pocket of his hoodie. When Silva finally has two hands on the revolver, he fires one round, striking Chavez. Silva picked up several items from the ground and ran through an empty parking lot. After the incident, the vehicle was once more spotted driving away from the scene into Pine Street, Southeast. Chavez died from a single gunshot wound. In the days following the shooting, detectives linked a bullet casing found at the scene to four additional shooting cases.
A month later, while looking into a series of robberies, APD detectives saw three men rob a tobacco shop and run to a house in Southeast Albuquerque. Silva was one of three suspects that the police had detained. At that location, they found bullet casings that connected the robbery probe to Chavez’s slaying. A Juvenile Probation officer contacted homicide police on Tuesday and said Silva wanted to speak with them. Silva was a juvenile at the time of the homicide. He told detectives that Chavez asked him for narcotics, which led to a physical altercation.
Further information
He claims the he fought Chavez over a handgun and when he got custody of it, he shot the gun one time, striking Chavez. He claimed to have left the area before deciding not to notify the police. He said that he was paranoid at the time because he was using narcotics. Tuesday, when a search warrant was carried out at Silva’s residence, detectives discovered a pair of jeans that matched those seen in the CCTV footage. The Metro Detention Center received a booking for Silva on an active count of murder, robbery, and evidence tampering.
PC:cabq.gov
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