Man, 20, convicted of voluntary manslaughter

April 30 – A jury convicted Adrian Sanchez on Tuesday of voluntary manslaughter and armed robbery in a case that relied heavily on Instagram posts he made after a 2022 killing.

But jurors acquitted Sánchez on May 5, 2022, of the most serious charges of first- and second-degree murder of 29-year-old Jesus Lopez.

The 20-year-old Sánchez risks a prison sentence of up to 39 years. State District Judge Brett Loveless said he will schedule a sentencing hearing within 90 days.

In a separate case, Sanchez is charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery and other crimes in the June 16, 2022, shooting death of Timothy Johnson in the parking lot of a Circle K at Coors and Gun Club SW. In that case, no trial is planned.

In Lopez’s murder, Sanchez argued that he shot Lopez in self-defense after Lopez pulled out a gun and tried to carjack Sanchez’s car.

Prosecutors told jurors that Sánchez fatally shot Lopez and then stole his gun before bragging about the killing to friends on Instagram.

Defense and prosecution attorneys told jurors different interpretations of Sanchez’s social media posts.

Sanchez’s attorney, Lisa Torraco, said Sanchez told several friends on Instagram that he had been carjacked at gunpoint and shot Lopez in self-defense.

“My client repeatedly says he was held at gunpoint,” Torraco said in his closing argument Monday. “Every statement my client makes is about the carjacking that went wrong.”

Albuquerque police responded to the 200 block of Garcia NE, near Central and Moon, around 11 p.m. after a gunshot detection device recorded gunfire, according to a complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Officers found Lopez lying in the middle of the road with several gunshot wounds. He died on the spot.

A neighbor told police he saw a man drag Lopez out of a car, leave him in the street and drive away, the complaint said.

Torraco said Sanchez started talking to two girls at a Target store earlier that evening when Lopez joined the group.

Sanchez had never before met Lopez, who jumped into the passenger seat of Sanchez’s car outside Target and demanded a ride, she said.

Sanchez agreed to give Lopez a ride, but soon realized Lopez planned to rob him, Torraco said. Lopez ordered Sanchez out of the car, got into the driver’s seat and fired a shot at Sanchez, she said.

Deputy District Attorney Collin Brennan told jurors that Sanchez’s Instagram posts show he intentionally shot Lopez.

Sanchez sent a screenshot of an Albuquerque Journal news article about the killing to a friend on Instagram, Brennan said.

Sánchez also shared photos with the friend showing his blood-spattered car and shoes, Brennan said.

Sanchez then asked the friend to have someone call 242-COPS, claim to have witnessed the murder, and tell police that they saw Lopez pull a gun on the driver to make the murder sound like a robbery, Brennan said.