A family argument over internet service in Albuquerque, New Mexico, ended in tragedy on January 12, 2022, with the shooting death of Daniel Trujillo, a Hispanic male. Police were called to a home at 7814 Rainwater Rd. SW for a reported shooting and found Mr. Trujillo deceased inside the residence. The investigation revealed the violence had erupted from within the family.
The incident began when Mr. Trujillo’s great-nephew, 18-year-old Domenic Mora, became agitated.
Family members told police Mora was already distraught over a fight with his girlfriend and had suffered a drug overdose the night before. His anger intensified after his grandmother, who was Mr. Trujillo’s sister, disconnected the internet service. In a tantrum, Mora punched a wall and spilled soap on the floor. While his grandmother was trying to ignore the outburst, she heard a "pop." She then discovered her brother, Daniel, had been shot.
Following the shooting, Mora allegedly told his family, "I guess I'll just go to jail, I just shot Dan," before fleeing the home in his car. Police later found the vehicle unoccupied. Acting on multiple tips submitted through Crime Stoppers, detectives with the Albuquerque Police Department located and arrested Mora on January 16, 2022. He was charged with an open count of murder.
During the investigation, a separate federal case emerged against Mora’s grandmother, Alberta Trujillo. She admitted to federal agents that she had purchased several guns for Mora since 2019, when he was 16 years old. In August, she pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge and was sentenced to two years of supervised release.
In court, Mora’s attorney raised concerns about his client's mental state at the time of the killing, citing drug overdoses he experienced just before and after the incident. In January 2024, Domenic Mora, then 20, pleaded guilty in 2nd Judicial District Court to second-degree murder in the death of his great-uncle. As of that month, he was facing up to 13 years in prison and awaiting a sentencing hearing.
