Ernest Arguello, a 32-year-old Hispanic man from Tucumcari, New Mexico, was remembered by loved ones as kind, helpful, and someone who loved to fill a room with laughter. On March 11, 2024, his life was cut short at Five Mile Park on the city's west side. A person who regularly walked in the park discovered Arguello's body about 200 yards from the entrance.
An investigation determined he had been shot in the back of the head.
The investigation quickly led police to Ashley Danielle Hall, then 22, also of Tucumcari. That same day, dispatchers had notified police that a woman, identified as Hall, had been admitted to Trigg Memorial Hospital. Her mother had taken her there after finding her in their bathroom with a slit wrist. At the hospital, Hall told healthcare workers that she had shot and killed her friend at Five Mile Park.
In a statement to New Mexico State Police, Hall described getting into an argument with Arguello in her car at the park. She claimed Arguello had a gun, and she took it because she was scared for her life. According to Hall, Arguello began to shake and put his head on the steering wheel, and she then shot him. She told police she dragged him out of the driver's seat, but then realized he might need medical attention. She said she tried to lift him back into the vehicle but he was too heavy. Hall stated she "started to panic," drove away from the scene, and stopped at a store to buy razor blades.
Police executing a search warrant on Hall's car found a .22-caliber revolver with two spent cartridges. Hall was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. She told investigators that she suffered from schizophrenia, but a competency report determined she was fit to stand trial. In May 2024, Hall pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree murder as part of a plea agreement. The agreement carries a prison sentence of six to 10 years, which will be followed by five years of probation. A formal sentencing hearing was scheduled to take place at a later date, following a diagnostic evaluation.
