In the small, high-mountain village of Truchas, New Mexico, life in the early 1930s was a fabric of subsistence farming, close-knit families, and deep-rooted traditions. Perched at 8,000 feet with views of the Truchas Peaks, the community was a place of stark beauty and hardship, where residents relied on irrigation ditches for water and the land for survival.
It was in this isolated setting that the life of a fourteen-year-old boy, Filemon Martinez, was cut short by a man who should have been his protector.
Filemon was a young Male whose world was tragically and violently upended by his stepfather, Santiago Garduno. Garduno, born in Truchas in 1884, had a long and brutal history with the law, a history that would ultimately culminate in the boy’s death. His criminal career spanned decades and crossed state lines into Colorado, including allegations of murder, time served for another killing, and a conviction for manslaughter. In 1925, during a dance party in Truchas, Garduno shot and killed a well-respected young man named Paulin Barela, a member of the American Legion. For this, he was sentenced to prison but was paroled in 1930, returning to the community that held the memory of his violence.
The final, fatal chapter of Garduno’s criminal life unfolded on October 7, 1932. On that day, he gave his stepson, Filemon, a drink of whiskey that he had laced with strychnine. The poison acted swiftly and agonizingly, ending the boy's life. The motive, as it was later understood, was born from a dark and twisted jealousy. Garduno’s own biological child had recently died, and he reportedly could not bear to see his stepson continue to live. This act of calculated cruelty was the last in a series of violent crimes that had terrorized the region for years.
The investigation into Filemon’s death led directly to his stepfather. Given Garduno’s notorious past, he was quickly arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The community, already scarred by his previous actions, watched as he was brought to trial. The evidence was damning, and the jury found him guilty. In a testament to the cold-blooded nature of the crime against a child, the jury made no recommendation for mercy, which made a death sentence mandatory. Upon delivering the sentence, the presiding judge reportedly told Garduno, "this is the third time you have been tried for taking human life: so far as this court is concerned it will be the last."
Garduno’s conviction marked the end of his reign of violence. After his appeals failed, he was sent to the Penitentiary of New Mexico. In the early hours of July 21, 1933, Santiago Garduno was executed in the state's new electric chair, one of the first two inmates to die by this method in New Mexico. Before his execution, he was allowed a final meal of a chicken dinner and a visit with his mother and sister. His last words were reported as, "I forgive everyone for whatever has been done. I hold no malice." He was pronounced dead at 1:12 a.m.
The execution of Santiago Garduno brought a form of justice for his victims, including young Filemon Martinez. Yet, it could not restore the life of a boy who was sacrificed to a man's bitter jealousy. Filemon’s death remains a quiet tragedy in the history of the small New Mexico village, a testament to the vulnerability of a child in the face of deep-seated malice. His story is forever linked to that of his killer, a serial predator whose violent path ended only after taking the life of the boy in his care.
