On the evening of Wednesday, November 27, 2024, James Silver, a 38-year-old man, went to the Dragonhorn Tavern in northeast Albuquerque, New Mexico. His family would later be devastated by the senseless violence of that night. At his killer's sentencing, Silver’s older sister said, “No words can express how much I miss my little brother every day,” while the mother of his son told the court, “you took my son’s father.”
The incident began around 9 p.m.
inside the tavern on Juan Tabo Boulevard NE. According to police reports, Silver approached Jeremy Saiz, a 30-year-old employee of the tavern who was off-shift and playing pool by himself. When Silver asked to join the game, Saiz refused, and a verbal argument broke out between the two men. Surveillance video showed that after the altercation, Silver walked out of the establishment. About a minute later, Saiz was seen walking at a fast pace toward the front door, his hand in his sweatshirt pocket holding what appeared to be a black object.
Saiz followed Silver outside. Seconds later, a single gunshot was heard. Witnesses and video footage showed Saiz walking back into the tavern with a handgun, which he then put back into his sweatshirt pocket before heading toward the rear of the building. Silver stumbled back through the entrance and collapsed on the floor. When police officers arrived, they found him deceased from a gunshot wound to the chest.
The investigation progressed quickly with the help of witness statements and the tavern's security footage. A short time after the shooting, Jeremy Saiz was located at a different location and turned himself in to police. A handgun was found in his vehicle. Saiz was arrested and charged with murder, carrying a firearm in a licensed liquor establishment, tampering with evidence, and negligent use of a deadly weapon.
In April 2025, Jeremy Saiz, then 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and unlawful carrying of a firearm in a liquor establishment. On June 6, 2025, Second Judicial District Judge Clara Moran sentenced Saiz to 24.5 years in prison, the maximum allowed under his plea agreement. The case is considered closed as of the sentencing in June 2025.
