On November 2, 2014, a tragic incident unfolded in Alamogordo, New Mexico, resulting in the deaths of two young men, Jonathan Garnand and Devone Blake, both 19 years old. The events began when Alamogordo Police Department officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Hendrix Avenue in response to a report of a suspicious vehicle. Upon arrival, officers found a 2003 maroon Chevy Impala with the front passenger door open and two male subjects, Garnand and Blake, in the front seats, both suffering
from gunshot wounds. Despite their critical condition, both victims were alive and pleading for help when the officers found them.
Garnand and Blake were immediately transported to Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo, where they received initial treatment for their life-threatening injuries. Due to the severity of their conditions, they were subsequently airlifted to the University Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. Despite the efforts to save them, Jonathan Garnand was pronounced deceased on November 4, 2014, and Devone Blake succumbed to his injuries six days later, on November 10, 2014.
The investigation into the double homicide was extensive but initially yielded no significant leads, causing the case to go cold. However, in March 2020, the Twelfth Judicial District Attorney's Office Cold Case Unit and the Alamogordo Police Department reopened the case. The renewed investigation focused on cellular phone and GPS data, which ultimately proved crucial in identifying the suspects. It was discovered that Jonathan Garnand and Devone Blake had met with two individuals, Jonathan Stewart and Angel Armendariz, prior to and at the time of the shooting. This evidence, combined with surveillance video and other investigative findings, led to the identification of Stewart and Armendariz as the primary suspects.
Jonathan Stewart, 28 at the time of his arrest, and Angel Armendariz, 26, were both implicated in the murders. Stewart was arrested on January 5, 2022, in McKinney, Texas, and was booked into the McKinney County Detention Center. Armendariz was apprehended through a joint effort by the Texas Rangers and the Milam County Sheriff's Office and was booked into the Milam County Detention Center. The investigation revealed that Stewart and Armendariz had been involved in a botched drug deal with Garnand and Blake, which led to the fatal shootings.
The trial of Angel Armendariz took place in 2023, with the Twelfth Judicial District Attorney, Scot D. Key, and Chief Deputy District Attorney Roxeanne Esquibel prosecuting the case. After a seven-day jury trial, Armendariz was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder by an Otero County Jury. The jury deliberated for approximately six hours before delivering their guilty verdicts. The successful prosecution was attributed to the diligent work of Special Agent Kyle Graham and then APD Detective William Lewandowski, as well as the commitment of resources by APD Chief Richard Denton and the entire Detective division of APD.
The case was notable not only for the tragic loss of two young lives but also for the torment inflicted on the victims' families, particularly Garnand's mother, Anna Alcala. For over a year after the murders, Alcala received menacing packages containing items belonging to her son and other threatening materials, which were traced to a post office in Mesilla, New Mexico. Despite these efforts to intimidate, the evidence from these packages was eventually crucial in the investigation. However, Garnand's mother did not live to see the justice served, as she passed away in 2020 due to the stress and trauma associated with her son's death.
