Police: Deaths of singer, husband a murder-suicide
Vigil scheduled for Sunday night
SANTA FE — The Santa Fe Police Department has ruled that the deaths of popular singer Ernestine Romero and her husband, Jessie Saucedo, was a murder-suicide.
The SFPD also said the couple had been living separately in recent weeks.
The bodies were found Thursday in an SUV parked on Don Gaspar Avenue outside the Jerry Apodaca Education Building in downtown Santa Fe, where Romero worked for the state Public Education Department as a financial coordinator.
Based on forensic autopsies by the state Office of the Medical Investigator and an assessment of the crime scene, police say Saucedo, 34, shot Romero, 32, twice in the upper chest with a semi-automatic pistol as she sat in the front passenger seat of the SUV, a BMW.
“Saucedo suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head as he was seated in the driver seat of the vehicle,” says a police statement released Friday. “The suspected firearm was located and seized from inside the vehicle.”
The couple had not been living together in the same residence for several weeks, the SFPD said. The case remains under investigation “as detectives continue to determine what led up to this tragic incident,” according to the police statement.
Romero and Saucedo were married in July 2017 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, after 10 years together, according to a report on the Tejano Nation website.
Romero continued to use her maiden name as a performer singing in an often-traditional Tejano style, with accordion as part of her band. She recorded at least nine CDs and won awards from the New Mexico Hispano Music Association.
Friday’s police statement added: “We ask the community to keep the families, friends, and co-workers affected in mind as we collectively process yesterday’s loss and begin the journey towards healing from this senseless tragedy.”
There will be a vigil to celebrate Romero’s life Sunday night on the west side of the state Capitol building — about a block away from the shooting scene — starting at 9 p.m., according to a post on the Facebook page of Romero’s mother, Olivia Romero. “We ask that you bring either a battery powered candle (strongly preferred) or a glassed covered candle ‘vela’,” says the post.
“Also, Ernestine loved for us musicians to wear a black shirt with blue jeans... if everyone can dress in this attire, it would be great... if not, just your presence is great enough! Fellow musicians, please bring your acoustic instruments ... . ”
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall issued a statement Friday calling Romero’s death “a devastating loss for New Mexico.” U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján said he was “heartbroken” by her death and that Romero “inspired and blessed us with her music and passion all of her life.”
A 2015 police report indicates Romero faced a minor charge for property damage during a dispute with Saucedo, but the charge was dismissed for lack of evidence and lack of cooperation by Saucedo to prosecute.