Man jailed in Taos County stabbing death
TAOS — An Albuquerque man accused of stabbing Cañon resident Joshua Trujillo at least 13 times at the El Prado Speedway gas station faces a first-degree murder charge following Trujillo’s death Wednesday.
Taos County sheriff’s deputies arrested 31-year-old Daniel Chavez last weekend after reviewing surveillance footage that shows a man stabbing 28-year-old Trujillo, according to the sheriff’s office.
On Wednesday, Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe said Trujillo had died from his wounds at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, which prompted the murder charge. Chavez is also charged with two counts of aggravated battery and tampering with evidence. Hogrefe said “immediate arrangements were made for the Office of Medical Investigator to initiate their independent investigation.”
Hogrefe said deputies responded to a report of a gunshot at the gas station north of Taos just before midnight Saturday and learned from witnesses two men had been involved in a stabbing, but neither individual was still at the scene.
Deputies later learned a friend had transported Trujillo to Holy Cross Medical Center after he lost consciousness following the stabbing. Trujillo was then flown by helicopter to a trauma center, due to the “extent of his injuries,” Hogrefe said.
Events leading to the altercation between the men at the gas station remain unclear.
Hogrefe said Chavez admitted to being involved in the altercation, but he did not admit to stabbing Trujillo.
Court records indicate Chavez was convicted of aggravated battery in 2014 after he assaulted his brother and his brother’s girlfriend with a knife.