ABQ man arrested in Valencia County double homicide

Sheriff suspects drug trafficking linked to Meadow Lake brothers’ shooting deaths

An Albuquerque man is charged with two open counts of murder in connection with a double homicide in Valencia County in November.

Porfirio Salazar, 34, was taken into custody without incident during a traffic stop in Albuquerque on Friday, according to a news release from the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office.

Salazar is charged in the shooting deaths of brothers Erik Verto Rodriguez, 20, and Roque Alejandro Rodriguez, 23, both of Los Lunas. Investigators have identified Salazar as the brothers’ uncle by marriage.

On Nov. 27, 2020, detectives with the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office investigated a double homicide at 34 Navajo Lane in Meadow Lake on the east side of the county.

The brothers were found dead of apparent gunshot wounds, according to investigators. A dark-colored sedan was seen leaving the scene and photographed by neighbors. The initial investigation by detectives showed that multiple shots were fired at the scene, and several guns were recovered.

Evidence at the scene also indicated the assailant who fled sustained a significant injury during the confrontation with the Rodriguez brothers.

After Salazar was taken into custody, detectives discovered a gunshot wound on his left leg that was caused around the time of the slayings, the Sheriff’s Office said in its news release.

“Investigators currently suspect that the deaths of the two young men were a result of illegal drug trafficking,” the Sheriff’s Office said.