Featured
Alleged killer detained in the 2019 beating deaths of father, son at Taos Pueblo
A man charged in the beating deaths of a father and son at a house in Taos Pueblo in 2019 was ordered by a federal judge Friday to remain in custody while awaiting trial, court records show.
Joshua Gonzales, 37, made his initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 on two counts of first-degree murder.
Gonzales was indicted Nov. 1 by a federal grand jury more than three years after officers found the bodies of Antonio 鈥淭ony鈥� Romero, 82, and his son, Buck Romero, 51, at Buck Romero鈥檚 home at Taos Pueblo on June 1, 2019.
Prosecutors allege that Gonzales used a wooden table leg to bludgeon Buck Romero to death in his home only moments before Antonio Romero arrived at his son鈥檚 house, according to a pretrial detention motion filed in federal court by U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez.
Gonzales then beat Antonio Romero to death with the table leg, prosecutors alleged.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer Rozzoni on Friday approved the pretrial detention motion, ordering Gonzales held pending trial.
The pretrial detention motion set out the following circumstances of the killings:
Gonzales and his girlfriend stayed at Buck Romero鈥檚 home on May 30, 2019, where the three made smudge sticks to sell at Taos Plaza Live, an entertainment event that evening at the Taos Plaza.
At the event, Buck Romero 鈥済rew tired or agitated鈥� with Gonzales and Gonzales鈥� girlfriend and 鈥渢ried to separate himself from them鈥� by getting a ride with a friend. Gonzales overheard the conversation and asked to ride with them.
The group first drove to a grocery store, where Buck Romero called a friend and said he was trying to 鈥渟hake鈥� the people he was with. The group then left the store and drove to Buck Romero鈥檚 home.
Buck Romero later called his father, who 鈥済ot in his truck to make the short drive鈥� to his son鈥檚 home, the motion said.
Gonzales later assaulted his girlfriend, who told Buck Romero about the assault. The girlfriend then left the house.
After Buck Romero questioned Gonzales about the assault, the situation 鈥渆scalated鈥� and Gonzales fatally beat Buck Romero with a wooden table leg, prosecutors allege.
A short time later, Antonio Romero arrived at his son鈥檚 house and was fatally beaten by Gonzales, the motion said.
Gonzales then allegedly 鈥渟tacked both men in the corner鈥� of Buck Romero鈥檚 home and placed a roll of metal fencing over the bodies, the motion said. Gonzales then left the home and locked the door with a padlock, it said.
