Taos man convicted of murder, tampering
Victim had complained about Gregg Steele’s dogs
SANTA FE — After less than an hour of deliberating, a Colfax County jury found Gregg Steele guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of Taos business owner Patrick Larkin in 2019.
Steele was also found guilty Friday of two counts of tampering with evidence, but District Judge Jeffrey Shannon dismissed an armed robbery charge for lack of probable cause.
Steele’s attorney, Thomas Clark, said he plans to appeal the jury’s verdict after sentencing. Clark successfully had the trial moved from Taos County to Raton due the attention the case had garnered in Taos.
Eighth Judicial District Attorney Marcus Montoya didn’t respond to messages from the Journal seeking comment.
Steele was convicted of shooting Larkin on Aug. 27, 2019, while he was feeding livestock on his property. Larkin, who owned the popular World Cup Cafe near the Taos Plaza, had previously accused Steele’s dogs of harassing his livestock and wandering onto his property.
Larkin’s body was found about 1½ miles from his home in a bush with a bullet wound to the knee and chest, according to previous news reports.
One of Larkin’s goats was also found dead, and the state Department of Game and Fish said it was likely mauled by a dog. Traces of Larkin’s blood were found in Steele’s vehicle.
Those close to Steele described him as having a pattern of violence and harassment, according to a State Police arrest warrant affidavit. One person described Steele as having a “short fuse” and an investigating agent said no one was surprised that Steele was being looked into for murder.