On July 15, 2019, Jose “Ruben” Diaz, a 45-year-old father of two, was fatally shot in his work truck near the Big I interchange in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The incident was a result of a meth-fueled delusion by the suspect, Donald Duquette.
Donald Duquette, 51 at the time, was the individual responsible for Diaz's death. Duquette, a former paramedic who had left his job in June of the previous year, was under the influence of methamphetamine when he committed the crime.
According to police, Duquette pulled alongside Diaz's truck and fired several bullets into it, one of which fatally struck Diaz in the head. Duquette's actions were driven by a delusional belief that Diaz was a threat to him and his friends, specifically that Diaz was going to kidnap his friend and sell her for heroin.
Following the shooting, Duquette did not immediately turn himself in. Instead, more than 18 hours after Diaz's body was found, Duquette appeared at the New Mexico State Police headquarters in tears, confessing to the crime. He was subsequently booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on an open count of murder and shooting at or from a motor vehicle.
The trial for Donald Duquette began in January 2023. During the trial, prosecutor Lawrence Hansen detailed the events of the crime, explaining how Duquette shot a 45-caliber handgun at Diaz's pickup truck, resulting in the fatal shot to Diaz's head. Duquette's defense did not dispute the facts of the shooting but highlighted his mental health issues and the influence of methamphetamine on his actions.
On June 2, 2023, Duquette was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Jose Diaz. The sentence included 13 years for the murder and an additional one-year mandatory enhancement. During the sentencing, District Court Judge Courtney Weaks emphasized the severity of Duquette's actions, noting that Diaz was unarmed and simply trying to get home when he was shot. Duquette's family members addressed the court, pleading for leniency and attributing his actions to a lack of mental health support and his struggles with depression and PTSD.
Duquette's arrest and subsequent conviction brought closure to the case, but the incident remains a tragic example of the devastating consequences of drug-fueled delusions and the importance of addressing mental health issues. Jose Diaz, described by his co-workers as a kind and irreplaceable individual with no enemies, was an innocent victim of Duquette's paranoia and drug-induced hallucinations.
