Samir Al-Abboudy, a 44-year-old resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lost his life to gun violence on May 14, 2017. The incident occurred at 2120 Menaul Blvd, marking the beginning of a series of tragic events that would unfold in the following weeks.
The investigation into Al-Abboudy's death led to the identification of two suspects, Yoan Pena Santiesteban, 34, and Gloria Chavez, 26.
The breakthrough in the case came when Santiesteban was arrested by Bernalillo County Deputies on May 27, 2017, on fraud charges for using a stolen credit card belonging to another homicide victim, Matthew Severinghaus. During this initial arrest, Santiesteban claimed he had found the wallet but admitted to using the credit card at a local bank. However, at that time, detectives lacked sufficient evidence to link him to the shooting, and he was booked solely on the felony fraud charges.
The critical turn in the investigation occurred on May 30, 2017, when New Mexico State Police officers located a white Nissan Versa, which was reported as a stolen vehicle, near Santa Rosa, NM. Upon stopping the vehicle, officers took both Santiesteban and Chavez into custody. It was discovered that the vehicle they were driving belonged to Samir Al-Abboudy, the victim of the May 14 homicide.
During subsequent interviews with detectives from the Albuquerque Police Department's Violent Crimes Unit, both Santiesteban and Chavez admitted to their involvement in three homicides that took place in May 2017. These victims included Samir Al-Abboudy on May 14, Celina Arrellanes on May 24, and Matthew Severinghaus on May 26. The admissions were corroborated by criminalistic evidence, specifically casings found at each shooting scene, which linked the suspects to all three crime scenes.
According to the statements provided by the suspects, they had planned to rob both Al-Abboudy and Severinghaus but ended up killing them for no apparent reason. Additionally, they had intended to rob an unknown male in the area of 9000 Zuni Rd, where they had planned to buy methamphetamine. However, during this attempted robbery, they inadvertently killed Celina Arrellanes, an innocent bystander who was not involved in the transaction.
Santiesteban and Chavez were arrested and charged with murder, robbery with a deadly weapon, and tampering with evidence. The investigation continued to determine if they were connected to any other crimes. The arrests were made possible through the collaborative efforts of the New Mexico State Police and the Albuquerque Police Department, highlighting the diligent work of the investigators involved in the case.
The case underscores the complexity and brutality of the crimes committed by Santiesteban and Chavez, and their arrests brought a measure of closure to the families of the victims, while also ensuring that these violent offenders were removed from the community.
