In the spring of 2019, the life of 21-year-old Aaron Murphy, a male resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was cut short in a violent encounter. On the night of April 28, 2019, Murphy was with another individual at 5716 Kathryn Ave., S.E. when a vehicle driven by Octavio Saenz arrived. The purpose of Saenz's visit was to sell and smoke marijuana with the person accompanying Murphy.
Upon his arrival, Saenz recognized Murphy from a previous incident a few months prior where Murphy had
allegedly robbed him. This recognition led to a fatal escalation of events. According to a witness who was with Murphy, Saenz produced a firearm and began shooting at them as they tried to flee the scene. In the chaos that ensued, Murphy was struck by the gunfire. He later succumbed to his wound and died.
For years, the case remained under investigation. However, breakthroughs came in the months leading up to October 2023. Homicide detectives with the Albuquerque Police Department uncovered new evidence, which included social media conversations. This new information led them to obtain a search warrant for Saenz's DNA. When detectives interviewed Saenz, he initially denied any involvement in the shooting of Murphy. However, his story later changed, and he claimed that a masked individual had shot at him, and he had returned fire.
Following the interview and the evidence gathered, detectives secured an arrest warrant for Octavio Saenz, charging him with an open count of murder. Saenz was subsequently taken into custody and booked into the Metro Detention Center in connection with the 2019 shooting death of Aaron Murphy.
