Celina Arrellanes, a 27-year-old resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, tragically lost her life on May 24, 2017, in a series of violent events that shook the community. Her death was part of a larger crime spree involving two suspects, Yoan Pena Santiesteban and Gloria Chavez.
Santiesteban, who was 34 years old at the time, and Chavez, 26 years old, were identified as the primary suspects in the homicides of three individuals, including Celina Arrellanes.
The investigation began to unfold when Santiesteban was initially arrested by Bernalillo County Deputies on May 27, 2017, for fraud charges related to using a stolen credit card belonging to another homicide victim, Matthew Severinghaus. During this arrest, Santiesteban claimed he had found the wallet but admitted to using the credit card at a local bank. However, at that point, detectives did not have sufficient evidence to link him to the shootings, and he was booked solely on the felony fraud charges.
The critical breakthrough came on May 30, 2017, when New Mexico State Police officers located a stolen white Nissan Versa near Santa Rosa, New Mexico. The vehicle, which belonged to another homicide victim, Samir Al-Abboudy, was stopped, and both Santiesteban and Chavez were taken into custody. During subsequent interviews with detectives from the Albuquerque Police Department's Violent Crimes Unit, both suspects admitted to their involvement in the three homicides that occurred in May 2017. These victims included Samir Al-Abboudy, who was killed on May 14, 2017; Celina Arrellanes, who was killed on May 24, 2017; and Matthew Severinghaus, who was killed on May 26, 2017.
The investigation revealed that Santiesteban and Chavez had planned to rob their victims but ended up killing them. In the case of Celina Arrellanes, she was an innocent bystander who was killed when the suspects attempted to shoot an unknown male they had met to buy methamphetamine in the area of 9000 Zuni Road. The suspects mistakenly targeted Arrellanes, resulting in her tragic death. The evidence linking them to the crime scenes included casings found at each shooting location.
Both Santiesteban and Chavez were charged with murder, robbery with a deadly weapon, and tampering with evidence. Gloria Chavez later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit murder in exchange for a six-year prison sentence, agreeing to testify against Santiesteban. Santiesteban faced first-degree murder and lesser charges related to the deaths of the three victims and was set for trial in June 2018.
The arrests and subsequent admissions by the suspects brought closure to the families of the victims and highlighted the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies, including the New Mexico State Police and the Albuquerque Police Department, in apprehending and prosecuting the perpetrators of these heinous crimes.
