NM - West Mesa Murders (2003-05)

[the seeker]

Clock ticks on West Mesa murders, other cold cases

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —New Mexico is the only state in the country that has a statute of limitations on second-degree murder.

So those looking to get away with murder in The Land of Enchantment should note that hiding the body for at least six years is a necessity.

[...]

The six-year statute of limitations is something Rep. Bill Rehm is trying to change. He's a retired Bernalillo County Sheriff's captain.

He uses the high profile West Mesa murders as another example -- the bodies of nearly a dozen women were found buried on the mesa back in February 2009.

Rehm said if police arrested someone today, just more than six years since the bodies were found, there's a good chance that person could walk.

"The forensic evidence is going to be very difficult because the individuals were out there so long, so it's going to be difficult to prove those murders as first-degree murders," said Rehm.​

link

Maybe I missed something....what makes them so sure it was 2nd degree murder?? How could they know that? I don't see anything above or in any article yet that would leave one to believe this was 2nd degree murder, in fact, I believe its the opposite....1st degree....unless, like I say, I missed something? Or is LE keeping something very close to their vests that would lead them to think that. Interesting.

Edit to add: I see now that it says 1st degree would be hard to prove at this point. Maybe for the one guy....but if there are others involved, then it is still possible to prove 1st degree. There may be evidence connected to other suspects that show it was 1st degree.

 

[the seeker]

Talking to myself here..lol. Gary Ridgeway (Green River Killer) killed prostitutes, and while he didn't all put them in one grave, they were more or less in the same location. He stopped for quite a while, I believe when he got married again (for the third time?) but started again. Just trying to throw out theories of why the killing seemed to have stopped. And look also at the possibility that this is a sexual sadist killer as opposed to drug cartel initiation. But it being so similar to the women in Jaurez has me leaning toward the cartel involvement. Anything is possible though, I suppose and looking at everything is the way this will get solved.

 

[the seeker]

Another possible theory is that it is a sex trafficking ring...and for some reason, these girls stopped being productive...so they killed them to make "room" for new ones...If I recall two of these victims were related? And weren't they last seen going to the park together? That seems like abduction to me though. I guess its necessary to find out if the two cousins were into prostitution, if so, a random abduction is less likely, I guess. Or they got into a vehicle willingly with someone they both knew. A good place to start may be to find out as much as possible about the two cousins, since the murder of two people who were last seen together is much rarer than one person being murdered. Do we know if any of the other victims were known to each other? Seems I remember reading something about one of the victims calling home and telling someone that "Cinnamon" was dead...that would imply they knew each other or knew OF each other....to me that implies drug cartel/prostitutes and sex trafficking group. Ill have to find that link. Ok, I think I can shut up for a while now.

 

[JDauxa]

May I suggest we take on a "divide and conquer" approach to this case? Would there be anyone interested in volunteering to take on researching one victim? One sleuther to one victim. Then we could gather the info we have, and bring it all together, having more info about each victim. I really believe the victims will be the ones to solve this case....


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[vegasdee]

I have followed this case since the beginning because I was birn and raised in Albuquerque. I was shocked to learn there was a serial killer in my hometown. I was horrified to find out how many women were reported missing in Albuquerque from 2001-2006.

 

[vegasdee]

A few thoughts I have on this case:
Albuquerque is a realtively small city. I remember reading an old article in the Albuquerque Journal that stated most of the women knew each other.
Michelle Valdez's sister received a call from a friend offering her condolences because she had heard Michelle had been killed along with Cinnamon. The call was made years before the bodies were found.
Julie Nieto's older sister, Valerie Nieto, died of an overdose in a hotel in 2007 on Central Ave. They lived the same type of lifestyle.
The area known as "the war zone" was a horrible area when I was in high school in Albuquerque. There was always shootings, muders, and drugs. Drugs were everywhere back in the mid to late 1990's in the warzone.

 

[vegasdee]

Forgot to add some locals believe there is another burial site.

 

[Tulessa]

>>Very few, outside of Native Americans, know what a skinwalker is.<<

Everybody who watches Supernatural knows what a skinwalker is. Not to mention several other books and movies that use the concept.

This post confuses me. Are you thinking a long the lines of the paranormal?
I'm not making the connection to this case.

 

[Sourcingforinfo]

May I suggest we take on a "divide and conquer" approach to this case? Would there be anyone interested in volunteering to take on researching one victim? One sleuther to one victim. Then we could gather the info we have, and bring it all together, having more info about each victim. I really believe the victims will be the ones to solve this case....


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I like that idea! I read on a blog that Syllania Edwards (the only African American) moved to the area and was rooming with Monica (Vasquez) Candelaria. I too am trying to find the connection between all of the women. All appear to be connected except Doreen Marquez and Julie Ann Cindy Nieto. I am unable to link them with anyone but I will continue to search!

 

[borndem]

Maybe I missed something....what makes them so sure it was 2nd degree murder?? How could they know that? I don't see anything above or in any article yet that would leave one to believe this was 2nd degree murder, in fact, I believe its the opposite....1st degree....unless, like I say, I missed something? Or is LE keeping something very close to their vests that would lead them to think that. Interesting.

Edit to add: I see now that it says 1st degree would be hard to prove at this point. Maybe for the one guy....but if there are others involved, then it is still possible to prove 1st degree. There may be evidence connected to other suspects that show it was 1st degree.

Good argument, seeker -- IANAL, and I don't know anything about NM law, but in NC, there are many M1 trials that also have a "lesser included charge" of 2nd degree. Many times the judge will include 2nd Degree so that a jury verdict of Guilty of M1 cannot be over turned because 2nd Degree was not an option for the jury. Dunno if this is something that could happen in NM. Just a thought.

 

[the seeker]

May I suggest we take on a "divide and conquer" approach to this case? Would there be anyone interested in volunteering to take on researching one victim? One sleuther to one victim. Then we could gather the info we have, and bring it all together, having more info about each victim. I really believe the victims will be the ones to solve this case....


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Good idea!

 

[the seeker]

I really think the idea of each taking a victim and finding out about each one is important. I will start on Cinnamon. We should keep track of who is researching who.

 

[JDauxa]

That's great! I really think Cinnamon was a leader type and she seemed well known. I have started with Michelle. If anyone else would like to volunteer, just let me know and I will add to the list.


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[the seeker]

That's great! I really think Cinnamon was a leader type and she seemed well known. I have started with Michelle. If anyone else would like to volunteer, just let me know and I will add to the list.


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While doing some research I learned that one individual with initials of AJ was potentially the last person to see Cinnamon alive. Not sure if I can list his full name..I think its OK since he is talked about in msm, that being the El Paso times. He goes by the alias Bennett. Anyway, One police report said that his name kept coming up, and he has declined to talk about what he might know.

Since you are doing Michelle, you know then that her father knew most of the victims through his work at youth detention center....very interesting.

More than one victims' families received phone calls saying they were dead. Interesting that NONE of these phone calls seems to have let on why they were killed or who killed them....smells of sex trafficking for sure.

 

[the seeker]

We need to find out if any of these girls worked as a stripper etc prior...or if they were ever going to meet a stranger who claimed to be able to get them a "great job" with room and board....one of the ruses sex traffickers use to entrap girls..dangle a promise of a better life in front of them.

 

[the seeker]

Here are the names of the victims and who has a sleuther researching so far:

Michelle Valdez-being researched by JDauxa
Gina "Cinnamon" Elks-being researched by The Seeker

The young ladies below still need researching:

Jamie Barela-
Evelyn Salazar-
Syllania Edwards-
Monica Candelaria-
Victoria Chavez-
Virginia Cloven-
Doreen Marquez-
Julie Nieto-
Veronica Romero-

 

[the seeker]

MODS- Can we start a Victims Thread?? If we are going to do this thing, we will need to split this into threads for organizational and easier info finding purposes.

 

[wfgodot]

It would also be interesting to have an overview of those who have been or still are named persons of interest to one degree or another, regarding this matter.

 

[vegasdee]

I can research Doreen Marquez. I think if we can find out who Syllania Edwards was associating with and how and when she came to Albuquerque we can break this case wide open. She had to have been associating with someone local. Albuquerque is way too small for someone not to remember who she was or who she was hanging out with. I know the Cubans have been mentioned...when I was a teen in Albuquerque there was groups of Cubans who lived in the war zone and controlled the trafficking of crack. This was in the mid to late 90's.

 

[the seeker]

I can research Doreen Marquez. I think if we can find out who Syllania Edwards was associating with and how and when she came to Albuquerque we can break this case wide open. She had to have been associating with someone local. Albuquerque is way too small for someone not to remember who she was or who she was hanging out with. I know the Cubans have been mentioned...when I was a teen in Albuquerque there was groups of Cubans who lived in the war zone and controlled the trafficking of crack. This was in the mid to late 90's.

I do have names of a couple women she was associating with. I have them written down. Ill break them out later. I remember one was nick named "Diamond", one Ty and one something like Lucrieta. Syllania was going by Mimi or Chocolate.