In the quiet town of Raton, New Mexico, a long-simmering animosity between two neighbors erupted into deadly violence on the afternoon of April 1, 2021. James McDowell, a 77-year-old male resident, was shot and killed in an alley near his home on North 1st Street. The man accused of the crime was his neighbor, 51-year-old David Morgan, who himself contacted authorities after the shooting.
The conflict between McDowell and Morgan was reportedly a familiar story to local law enforcement,
with a history of disputes stretching back for years. On that Thursday, the feud reached its tragic conclusion. Following the incident, Morgan called 911, informing dispatchers that he had shot a man and requested an ambulance. When Raton Police Department officers arrived at the scene around 3:08 p.m., they discovered McDowell suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined that McDowell was unarmed at the time of the altercation. It was later revealed that Morgan had shot his neighbor nine times. Morgan claimed that McDowell had come at him before the shooting, but the evidence suggested a more deliberate act. Prosecutors pointed to the long history of conflict between the two men as a motive for the killing. Morgan was taken into custody without incident and subsequently charged with an open count of first-degree murder.
David Morgan was booked into the Vigil-Maldonado Detention Center. In the ensuing legal process, he was convicted of the first-degree murder of James McDowell. The New Mexico Supreme Court later affirmed this conviction. Morgan was sentenced to life in prison for the fatal shooting of his neighbor.
