Las Cruces police have arrested the man accused of shooting and killing a 21-year-old Benjamin Montoya at a motel in Las Cruces.
According to a spokesperson with the Las Cruces Police Department, Joel Arciniega-Saenz, 21, is charged with an open count of murder.
According to LCPD, officers were called to the 2200 block of Picacho Ave. at 6 a.m. Saturday.
An officer told NewsChannel 9, police discovered the man with at least one gunshot wound.
He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to investigators, a witness said they saw Montoya and his girlfriend arguing outside of Saenz’s apartment.
A short time later, the witness said they heard a gunshot and saw Saenz and the woman standing over Montoya’s body in the parking lot, according to police.
Police said Saenz’s and Montoya’s girlfriend gave detectives conflicting accounts of what happened.
However, the girlfriend later said that Saenz was responsible for Montoya’s death.
Saenz was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center and is being held without bond.
