On November 8, 2020, a violent incident in Las Vegas, New Mexico, ended the lives of Victor Cervantes, an 89-year-old Hispanic man, and his 34-year-old granddaughter, Cristal Cervantes. The tragedy unfolded at Mr. Cervantes's home on Peggy Lee Lane, where Cristal lived with her boyfriend, Alejandro Alirez.
The situation began just before 3 p.m. when Alirez's mother flagged down a San Miguel County Sheriff's deputy to request a welfare check.
She reported that her son was inside the Cervantes residence, was armed with a handgun, and was acting irate. As deputies approached the home, they heard gunshots and realized Alirez was firing at them. They retreated to safety as more shots were fired, one of which struck a patrol unit.
The deputies called for assistance, and the New Mexico State Police Tactical Team and Crisis Negotiation Team responded, beginning a standoff that lasted for hours. During this time, officers learned that Alirez was livestreaming the events from inside the house on his Facebook page. The video, which ran for about 50 minutes, showed Alirez walking around with a handgun. Viewers of the livestream witnessed him shoot Cristal Cervantes. District Attorney Thomas Clayton later stated that Cristal could be heard on the video pleading for her life before Alirez shot her in the face.
Crisis negotiators eventually made contact with Alirez by phone and convinced him to exit the home and surrender. At approximately 5:26 p.m., Alirez came out the back door and was taken into custody without further incident. When tactical officers entered the residence, they found both Victor and Cristal Cervantes inside, unresponsive. Both had died from gunshot wounds.
Alirez, then 23, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and four counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer. In a statement to police, Alirez made delusional claims that his girlfriend was allowing people to have sex with him while he slept and that children were being molested, stating he needed to save them.
In June 2023, Alejandro Alirez pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and four counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer as part of an agreement with the District Attorney's Office. The following month, in July 2023, State District Judge Abigail Aragon sentenced Alirez, then 25, to 42 years in prison for the killings.
