Alejandro Roman was a 14-year-old boy from Las Cruces, New Mexico, with a big heart and a passion for cars. Remembered by his family for his gorgeous smile and supportive nature, the young Hispanic male always had a hug for his loved ones and never left home without telling them he loved them. His aunt, Maria Garcia, recalled that he was a “big, big lover of cars,” a fact made all the more poignant when detectives found he still had Hot Wheels toys in his pocket when he died.
On the
evening of June 2, 2025, Alejandro was a passenger in the backseat of a vehicle his mother was driving. According to his family, what began as a traffic incident on North Telshor Drive escalated into a deadly confrontation. After his mother merged and apparently cut off another driver, the man became aggressive, pursuing their car and blinking his lights. The chase ended around 9 p.m. at the intersection of Solano Drive and Spruce Avenue. As the traffic light turned green, the other driver fired five shots into the family’s car. Alejandro was struck by at least one bullet and was pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger in the backseat was grazed by a bullet.
The Las Cruces Police Department immediately began a homicide investigation. Authorities released images of the suspect’s vehicle, a white mid-size SUV, and described the driver as a lone male. Both the ATF and Crime Stoppers offered cash rewards for information that could help identify the shooter. Investigators followed up on a tip, tracked the suspect’s mobile phone location from the night of the shooting, and gathered evidence that he had altered his vehicle’s appearance.
The investigation led to a breakthrough months later. On September 25, 2025, police arrested 18-year-old Jonathan Estrada at a business on Bataan Memorial West. He was taken into custody and booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center, where he was held without bond. Estrada was charged with a number of felonies, including second-degree murder, two counts of shooting at or from a motor vehicle, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence.
In July 2026, the case came to a close. Jonathan Estrada, then 19, accepted a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and the other charges were dropped. Following emotional testimony from Alejandro’s family, a judge sentenced Estrada to serve 18 years in prison.
