Suspect charged with murder after body found in street

Witness: Dispute began after night out

SANTA FE — The Santa Fe Police Department has charged a 30-year-old man with an open count of murder after a dead man was found in the street early Saturday morning.

Christopher P. Owens of Santa Fe is also charged with tampering with evidence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

A criminal complaint prepared for Magistrate Court quotes witnesses as saying that Owens shot and killed Tim Baca in the early morning hours after the two were part of group that went first to the Skylight nightclub in downtown Santa Fe and later to the Buffalo Thunder Casino and Resort in Pojoaque.

Lt. Michele Williams, an SFPD spokeswoman, said officers responded to a call on Viento Segundo Drive and Calle Mejia in northern Santa Fe at 3:42 a.m. and found an unresponsive man, later identified as Baca, whose age is not listed in the criminal complaint.

The complaint describes a group of people who went out late Friday night for the birthday of Baca’s wife.

Owens and another man met up with the others at the Skylight before they all went to Buffalo Thunder.

Baca and Owens began arguing about a song on the drive back to Santa Fe. When Baca’s wife said “arguing over a song is stupid,” Owens reportedly began to call her names. When Baca told Owens to not talk to his wife like that, Owens said, “I will shoot you in the face,” according to a 16-year-old girl who was part of the group.

When the driver pulled over and everyone got out, Owens shot Baca twice, the girl told police.

Baca’s wife said that Owens said, “I’m done; I’m going to prison” before running away.

Police later found Owens at his home on West Gutierrez Street. The criminal complaint said he is on federal probation and was arrested in 2014 for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

State court records available online show that Owens has faced drug possession charges and other minor counts in the past.