On the night of March 25, 2022, Kayla Montano, a 28-year-old female, was with her family at a Maverik gas station on Comanche and I-25 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when her life was tragically cut short. She, her fiancé, her seven-year-old daughter, her brother, and his girlfriend had stopped for gas on their way to Top Golf for a night of family fun. Within moments of pulling into the station, their vehicle was ambushed in what authorities would later describe as a case of mistaken identity.
Gunfire erupted, and Kayla was fatally wounded, while her fiancé sustained a graze wound to the forehead. Her young daughter was in the backseat of the car at the time of the shooting.
The investigation into Kayla’s murder led Albuquerque police to identify a group of teenagers as the perpetrators. The suspects were named as Diamond Salazar, who was 19 at the time, and four minors: Capri Sicilia, Ty Gyos, Estean Lucero, and Adam Sado. According to court documents and police statements, the tragic event stemmed from Salazar's phone being stolen earlier that evening. In an attempt to track down the alleged thieves, Salazar mistakenly identified the black SUV Kayla and her family were in as the vehicle involved in the robbery. It is alleged that Salazar recruited the others to shoot at the vehicle, leading to the deadly confrontation.
In the years following the senseless act of violence, the legal process unfolded, bringing a measure of justice for Kayla's grieving family. Adam Sado, one of the teens involved in the shooting, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The other three teens also eventually pleaded guilty to murder. Diamond Salazar, the last of the suspects to face her charges, initially went to trial but ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She faces up to 24 years in prison for her role in the killing. The resolution of the criminal cases has allowed Kayla's family to begin the process of grieving without the constant burden of court hearings.
