In the quiet evening of April 24, 2025, a sudden burst of violence shattered the peace of a Southeast Albuquerque apartment complex, leaving 32-year-old Richard Powell dead. The events of that Thursday night unfolded with a chilling swiftness, beginning with insistent banging on the door and windows of an apartment on Indiana Street S.E. Inside, a woman was with her child, alarmed by the disturbance outside.
Recognizing the voices as her cousin, Munah Green, and Green's 17-year-old son, Rickey Rodgers, she called 911.
Richard Powell, the woman's boyfriend, went outside to confront the two and told them to leave. The verbal confrontation quickly escalated. According to Powell's girlfriend, she heard Green yell, "Get him son, shoot him, shoot him.” In the next moments, Rodgers allegedly pulled a black handgun from his waistband and fired several shots at Powell. As Powell fell to the ground and struggled to get up, Rodgers reportedly moved closer and fired more rounds. Richard Powell died at the scene.
The investigation into Powell's death moved swiftly. Detectives learned that Rickey Rodgers was wearing an ankle monitor, and the GPS data placed him at the scene of the murder at the time of the shooting. The following day, on April 25, 2025, Albuquerque police detectives, with the assistance of a SWAT team, located and arrested 44-year-old Munah Green and her son near the 900 block of Edith Ave. SE. Both surrendered peacefully.
Munah Green and Rickey Rodgers have both been charged with an open count of murder and an open count of conspiracy to commit murder. Green was booked into the adult jail, while Rodgers was taken to the juvenile detention center. The motive for the confrontation that led to the fatal shooting has not been publicly released. The community was left to grapple with the senseless loss of a young life and the disturbing circumstances that led to the tragic death of Richard Powell.
