Carmen Navarrete, a 50-year-old Hispanic woman described by her family as a loving, hardworking Christian, had taken every available step to protect herself and her family. Just weeks before her death, she ended a two-year relationship with her boyfriend due to his escalating violence. Despite her efforts, she and her 15-year-old son, Axel Gonzalez, were killed in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on the evening of Monday, November 13, 2023.
Axel was a sophomore at Capital High School, remembered by friends as a happy and generous protector of his mother and three sisters.
The violence that led to the murders began to intensify in late October 2023. On October 28, Navarrete’s ex-boyfriend, Jose Antonio “Adrian” Roman, allegedly punched her repeatedly, strangled her, and threatened her with a gun during an argument at his Albuquerque home, an assault that sent her to the hospital. Though he later asked for forgiveness, he also threatened to kill her and “end” her children if she went to the police. A felony arrest warrant was issued for Roman, but it was not served. On November 9, just four days before she was killed, Navarrete obtained a temporary protective order against him.
On the night of the attack, Roman’s son called Albuquerque police to report that his father had stolen a shotgun and was likely on his way to harm Navarrete. Deputies were dispatched to her home on Prince of Peace road, but they arrived moments too late, just as Roman was attempting to flee. He had driven from Albuquerque and opened fire on the house from outside, shooting Navarrete through a window. Inside, other family members, including children and grandchildren, barricaded themselves in rooms. A witness heard Roman enter the home through a kitchen window and walk with “unhurried steps” toward Axel’s room, where the boy had run to hide. Roman then shot his ex-girlfriend’s son twice at close range.
When deputies arrived, Roman rammed his truck into a patrol vehicle before driving into a ditch and escaping on foot, sparking a multi-agency manhunt. He remained at large for about 36 hours until law enforcement tracked him to a residence in Albuquerque. Following a SWAT standoff near 98th Street and Central Avenue, Roman was taken into custody.
Jose Antonio Adrian Roman was charged in the deaths of Carmen Navarrete and Axel Gonzalez. During his trial, his defense argued that he had acted recklessly and not with premeditation. Prosecutors countered that Roman had numerous opportunities to turn back during the drive from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. In April 2026, a Santa Fe County jury found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon, and shooting at an occupied building.
In August 2026, District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid Lidyard sentenced Roman to the maximum penalty of two consecutive life sentences plus 10.5 years in prison, ensuring he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. The judge described the case as one of the “clearest cases of deliberate murder” he had seen in his eight years on the bench.
