Shooting spree suspect to remain jailed until trial
Deavonne Romero, 23, who faces 13 felony charges in a drive-by shooting spree Sept. 30 in southwest Santa Fe, will remain in custody until her trial, a state district judge ruled Wednesday.
Romero was one of three people arrested in connection with the morning shooting in a neighborhood near Capital High School, which damaged several cars and apartment buildings but caused no reported injuries. Elijah Gallegos, 16, was charged with 12 felony counts and is in a San Juan County juvenile detention facility. The third suspect is Romero’s sister, 20-year-old Brianna Romero, who suffered an accidental overdose after she was booked in the Santa Fe County jail.
According to prosecutors’ motion seeking pretrial detention for Deavonne Romero, Brianna Romero remains in an intensive care unit at a local hospital and is unlikely to survive.
Judge T. Glenn Ellington said in his ruling prosecutors presented strong evidence, largely based on witness testimony, showing Deavonne Romero poses a danger to the community and should remain in jail until her trial.
Sam Ruyle, Romero’s defense attorney, told the judge he might file a motion seeking a visitation order or furlough so his client can visit her sister in the hospital. As of Wednesday afternoon, however, the motion had not been filed.
Deavonne Romero was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of shooting at or from a vehicle and three counts of conspiracy to shoot at or from a vehicle, as well as contributing to the delinquency of a minor, court records show.
Her sister faces the same series of charges, along with counts of possession of a controlled substance.
The District Attorney’s Office said Brianna Romero’s charges have not been dismissed.