EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A Las Cruces jury has found a 27-year-old man guilty of murder outside the Halo Lounge in summer 2019, the Las Cruces district attorney’s office announced Friday.
After just deliberating for three hours, the jury found Adam Alexander Torres guilty of second degree murder in the death of Rogelio Baeza.
Torres was also found guilty of aggravated assault and tampering with evidence.
On June 28, 2019, Las Cruces Police were dispatched to Halo Lounge, 2460 S. Locust, on a shots fired call. Upon arrival, officers found Baeza dead from gunshot wound.
According to the DA’s office, video surveillance from the camera at the Halo Lounge shows Baeza and a friend, Jeffery Herrera, sitting in a vehicle.
Video surveillance showed another vehicle driving into the parking lot, and Torres exiting the vehicle, firing an automatic weapon at the car and at both Baeza and the friend, who were attempting to flee. It was estimated that 31 rounds were fired from Torres’ gun.
During the investigation several text messages were recovered between the men indicating threatening behavior and potential death threats. A witness was able to show investigators the gun used in this incident was located in a desert area 25 miles east of the shooting. Herrera survived the shooting and testified at the hearing.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date. Torres faces a potential of up to 24 years in prison.
