Details emerge in fatal shooting of White
Numerous witnesses at party spoke with police
A fight at a party attended by dozens, perhaps scores, of teenagers at a house in Chupadero early Saturday morning might have led to the fatal shooting of former Santa Fe High basketball standout Fedonta “JB” White, according to a newly released document from the Santa Fe County Sheriff ’s Office.
A statement of probable cause, filed Tuesday in Children’s Court of the First Judicial District, indicates White and Estevan Montoya, 16, were involved in an altercation just before the shooting.
Montoya faces four felony charges, including an open count of murder, aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a handgun by a person less than 19 years old and negligent use of a deadly weapon.
According to the statement of probable cause, multiple witnesses identified Montoya as the person who pulled the trigger. Names of witnesses were redacted from the document “as those identities contain information of juvenile individuals which could endanger their lives,” said Santa Fe County Sheriff ’s Office spokesman Juan Ríos.
The District Attorney’s Office will file a notice with the court seeking adult sanctions against Montoya. If approved by a judge, he would be considered a serious youthful offender and subject to penalties an adult would face for first-degree murder.
The events, according to the statement of probable cause, began around 3:30 a.m. Saturday at a home owned by a longtime Santa Fe County jail employee. A witness said Montoya appeared to say something to White on the porch of the house and the two began fighting.
The witness “advised J.B. White appeared to swing ‘punch’ at Estevan,” according to the statement of probable cause.
The witness “explained it appeared Estevan started to run and J.B. White appeared to chase after him swinging one more time.”
The witness also said she did not believe White ever struck Montoya, according to the statement.
All of the witnesses interviewed by sheriff ’s office investigators said they saw Montoya pull a gun out of his waistband while running away from White and then shoot at him, according to the statement.
Another witness told a slightly different version of events.
He said Montoya attempted to strike White, and Montoya ran away and White chased after him, according to the statement of probable cause.
A witness asked White who shot him. The witness told investigators White replied, “That kid Estevan, Estevan is the one,” according to the complaint.
White, 18, was perhaps the most sought-after basketball player in Santa Fe in nearly 60 years and was considered a top 100 recruit nationally. He graduated from Santa Fe High early in order to enroll at the University of New Mexico and play for the Lobos.
A friend of White’s told The New Mexican on Sunday that White was hit by one shot below the right shoulder. Friends drove White in a car to a highway exit in Tesuque, where they met paramedics at about 4 a.m.
Ríos did not answer several questions about the party, citing the ongoing investigation. When asked whether there was evidence of alcohol or drug use at the party, he said the department had no comment.
He also refused to answer questions about the sobriety level of the witnesses when the event occurred, contending the question “delves into detailing methods and procedures our law enforcement agency follows when investigating an ongoing criminal investigation.”
Montoya’s attorney, Dan Marlowe, said he is not yet prepared to speak about the case and cautioned against drawing conclusions too early.
“We don’t know the facts yet,” he said.
The statement of probable cause also identifies a second victim in the incident.
Montoya is accused of assaulting or striking Allan Schmitt with a black handgun, which resulted in the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge.
The party was held at a home owned by Juventino “Tino” Alva, who has worked for Santa Fe County since 2004. He currently works as the county jail’s electronic monitoring bail bonds supervisor.
Alva did not return multiple phone calls asking for comment.
According to the statement of probable cause, Alva’s son told investigators he and his sister were having “a small get together of friends” when more people began to arrive.
Alva’s son “explained the home was under renovation so neither of his parents were present,” according to the statement.
Ríos declined to comment when asked whether Alva would be cited for having a gathering of more than five people on his property, contrary to the state’s COVID-19 emergency health order, or for underage people using drugs or alcohol at the location.
A family friend of Montoya, Rebecca Mitchell, said Montoya does not fit the impression some may have of him. She said the Capital High student was one of the first boys to befriend her son when they moved to Santa Fe.
When Montoya would visit her home, he was always respectful and would greet her with a hug, she said.
“He is not the cold-blooded killer everyone is making him out to be,” Mitchell said.
In a phone call Tuesday, Montoya’s mother, Carmela Clokey, said she was “heartbroken” about the shooting, before directing all questions to Marlowe.
Montoya has lived with his grandmother Sandra Montoya for the last five years. She also declined to be interviewed.
“He’s always been good to his grandmother,” Mitchell said.
A district judge ruled Monday that Montoya will remain at the San Juan County juvenile detention facility despite Marlowe’s request to have him released to his grandmother’s care with a GPS monitoring device.
Montoya is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing before Judge T. Glenn Ellington on Aug. 13.