Flores sentenced for murder in 2022 | Local news

A man who shot and killed a teenager and injured three other people two years ago has been sentenced to life in prison plus six and a half years.

New Mexico's 5th Judicial District Judge James Hudson followed the prosecutor's recommendation when he announced the sentence against 21-year-old Daniel Flores at a hearing in Roswell on Wednesday.

Flores was sentenced to life in prison for premeditated murder, but under New Mexico law he is eligible for parole after 30 years.

He also received an 18-month sentence for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Hudson increased the sentence by five years because Flores fired a firearm while committing the crime.

The punishment for grievous bodily harm is imposed after that for intentional murder.

District Attorney Dianna Luce said Flores, who has been in custody since August 2022, received two years and 58 days credit for time already served.

After a five-day trial in June, a jury convicted Flores in July of a July 24, 2022, shooting at his ex-girlfriend's home in the 1400 block of East Tilden Street. The shooting left 15-year-old Dyman Rodriguez dead from a gunshot wound and three other people injured.

A criminal complaint filed in the case says the shooting occurred shortly before 2:30 a.m. as Flores' ex-girlfriend and another woman were driving Rodriguez and two other teenage boys back to the house.

While they were still in the house, a vehicle with its blue lights on stopped in front of the house before a man dressed all in black and wearing a mask entered the building and fired six shots.

In addition to Rodriguez, two other teenagers and Flores' ex-girlfriend were injured in the shooting. Flores was found six days later by U.S. Marshals in Glendale, Arizona.

Prosecutors alleged that Flores committed the shooting because he was angry that his ex-girlfriend was bringing boys to her home.

The defense argued in court that the charges against Flores were based on indirect evidence and that he was not in the house the night of the shooting.

Gary Mitchell, Flores' attorney, confirmed that he would appeal the case to the New Mexico Supreme Court.

Four members of the Rodriguez family gave statements and described to the court how Rodriguez's death turned their lives upside down.

“There are no words that can express the extent of the devastation this individual has caused to our family,” Diana Toldeo, Rodriguez's aunt, said of Flores when she appeared in court.

She described her nephew as someone who was smart, athletic and had limitless potential.

“The grief and trauma we feel every day never ends,” she added. Toldeo said that in the two years since the shooting, Flores has never expressed remorse for his actions.

Shawna Sandoval, Rodriguez's mother, said in court that her son's violent death continued to have a catastrophic impact on her life.

“I miss Dyman more than words can express,” she said. In court, Sandoval repeatedly called Flores' actions cowardly and said he “took a piece of my life, my heart, my soul from this earth.”

Michael Sandoval, Rodriguez's grandfather, noted that according to police, Flores never met his grandson before shooting him.

“Judge, because of this person, my grandson is dead and will lie in the cemetery forever,” Michael Sandoval said of Flores, adding that it would be unfair for Hudson to impose anything less than a life sentence.

Neither Flores nor any member of his family turned to the court.

Mitchell noted that under New Mexico law, Hudson could not impose a sentence other than life imprisonment for the crime of first-degree murder. However, he asked the court to suspend at least part of the sentence for the aggravated assault charge and have it run concurrently with the sentence for the murder.

Hudson ultimately rejected this request.

Electronic court records show Flores is also awaiting trial on a charge of assault on a peace officer for allegedly striking an officer at the Chaves County Detention Center on Sept. 4, 2023.

The hearing in this case is scheduled for November 13.