Judge detains 15-year-old murder suspect
Suspect is one of two people who allegedly killed man and burned body
After 15-year-old Christopher Herrera and his 18-year-old cousin beat a man to death, the body was loaded into a truck which was set ablaze on the Pajarito Mesa, prosecutors said at a detention hearing Tuesday.
Few details in the case have been made public and key documents have been sealed, but Assistant District Attorney David Waymire shared the state’s theory as he successfully asked state District Judge Stan Whitaker to keep the boy in juvenile detention as he awaits trial on murder and lesser charges. An arrest warrant has also been issued for his cousin, Jonathan Herrera, who remains at large.
“The nature and circumstances and the gravity and the violence involved in this case are disturbing at best,” Whitaker said. “And I’m incredibly concerned that we’ve got somebody who just turned 15 that’s involved.”
The Herreras, Ivan Bocanegra and a teen girl had been hanging out at a home in Bernalillo County on a night in September before driving to another location. Waymire said Jonathan Herrera, believing cocaine had been stolen from him, hit Bocanegra with a gun. He and Christopher Herrera then beat the 30-year-old with a rod until he “lay motionless on the ground,” according to court documents.
Waymire said Bocanegra’s body was loaded into a truck, and after the vehicle got stuck, Jonathan
set it on fire. Christopher Herrera had been shot in the hand at some point during the attack, and his mother had picked him up and taken him to a hospital, where law enforcement spoke with him.
Sheriff’s office community service aides found the truck and body on Pajarito Mesa on Sept. 18, according to a spokeswoman for the office. Medical examiners determined that Bocanegra died of blunt force trauma.
Christopher Herrera’s attorney, Jason Rael, said his client had been roped into the crime by his cousin and prior to his arrest in the homicide had only faced a shoplifting accusation.
“He’s involved with his cousin that’s older, the cousin took control of the situation and he got wrapped up in that,” Rael said.
Rael asked Whitaker to send the teen to an inpatient treatment center if the defense team could make arrangements. After the hearing, Rael said he planned to look for suitable facilities in coming weeks.
Whitaker said he would consider sending the boy to treatment, but he was concerned about “what kind of supervision he’s getting at home,” and believed he presents a danger. He said Hererra’s own statements led him to believe that both teens were responsible.
“Even if the cousin was sort of spearheading this incredibly tragic and violent episode, Christopher joined in, by his own words,” he said.