Suspect in slaying enters pleas in other case

Trial set for May in UNM athlete’s death

A man accused in the highprofile shooting death of a University of New Mexico athlete has entered pleas to two fourthdegree felony charges in an earlier, unrelated case.

Darian Bashir faces up to three years after pleading no contest Monday morning to shooting at or from a vehicle and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

According to a prosecutor, Bashir was riding in a car with several other people in February when the group “had a confrontation with a separate car,” during which Bashir opened fire.

“He actually did admit firing shots from his vehicle,” prosecutor John Duran said in court.

He said the group passed guns around the vehicle and had a large amount of marijuana, and one of the passengers riding with Bashir was a minor, which was the basis for the contributing to the delinquency of a minor charge.

Months after that, police say, Bashir shot and killed UNM baseball player Jackson Weller outside a popular Nob Hill nightclub after an altercation.

The Weller case caught political attention, and just days after the student’s death, 50 State Police officers were sent to patrol certain parts of Albuquerque.

Bashir’s trial in Weller’s death is scheduled to begin in May. He will be sentenced in the other case after the Weller case is resolved.