Police: Dixon killings are on video
Two men arraigned on first-degree murder charges
ESPAÑOLA — Shortly after midnight May 28, two men entered a Dixon home, according to a state police summary of video later found in the house. One man had a semiautomatic handgun; the other a revolver, says the summary filed Monday in state Magistrate Court in Española.
The men found their three victims in a bedroom, the summary says. They shot them and ransacked the house in an apparent search for suspected drugs and other items. Then the killers shot the victims again — this time in the head, according to the summary.
The two accused killers in the video — John Powell, 34, and Roger Gage, 33 — were arraigned Monday in Magistrate Court in Española. They asked for public defenders, saying they couldn’t afford private lawyers. Powell appeared to cry, saying he fears life in prison.
State police say that after the killings, officers found a video recording system in the house. The system appeared to be connected to cameras outside the home, as well as in the bedroom where the shootings took place.
The recording system was password-protected, but video was recovered after the system was taken to an FBI laboratory in Albuquerque, according to state police.
Powell and Gage are charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Kierin Guillemin, 27, April Browne, 42, and Abraham Martinez, 36.
According to state police, the video shows Powell and Gage entering the bedroom about 12:30 a.m. May 29. The footage shows the men immediately shot Guillemin, who was seated in a chair by the door, according to the court documents. Browne was shot while sitting on a bed and Martinez while asleep beside her.
Powell and Gage ransack drawers, then shoot the victims again, then ransack some more, according to state police. The two allegedly left with several items and their handguns.
Powell and Gage, who were arrested Friday, weren’t asked to enter pleas at the court hearing Monday. They continued to be jailed without bond.
Murder cases are tried in state District Court, and the case is being expedited there after a motion by prosecutors.
Powell and Gage appeared in court through a video feed. When asked for their addresses, neither had an answer. “I’m homeless,” Gage said. Powell appeared to sob after the charges were read to him. Later, while waiting for paperwork, Powell’s voice seemed muffled again.
“I don’t want to spend my life in prison,” Powell said. “I just want to die.” Powell and Gage face the possibility of life in prison. The Dixon house belonged to Martinez, and on May 30 his family members checked on him, discovering three bodies after peering through the bedroom window, according to state police.
There were signs of forced entry and blood around the home, according to court documents, as well as drug paraphernalia with heroin residue.
Neighbors and other members of the Dixon community said the home had a reputation for drug activity. A neighbor said someone once spray-painted “this is a drug house” on the road.
Browne’s criminal history shows at least two charges for drug-related crimes in the last decade. Guillemin’s girlfriend, Roxanne Sanchez, said Guillemin may have started using painkillers to cope after an accident.
Brenda Bell told that Gage and Powell were half-brothers born to her sister and that Gage had gotten into drugs as a way to cope with the pain from surgeries in the last few years.