A domestic argument in Truchas, New Mexico, turned deadly on April 20, 2025. At about 3:46 p.m. New Mexico State Police responded to an open 911 call where dispatchers heard at least one gunshot. Officers found 44-year-old Fernando Romero inside a residence on County Road 77 with a gunshot wound to his chest; emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

Present at the house was Romero’s 18-year-old son, Ricky Romero, who officers detained after noticing what appeared to be blood on his hand. Investigators concluded a verbal altercation between father and son escalated, and that Ricky Romero allegedly armed himself with a handgun and shot his father. Ricky Romero was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and booked into the Rio Arriba County Adult Detention Facility.

Fernando Romero worked as a general contractor and heavy equipment operator and was described as a jack of all trades. He is survived by his wife of 21 years, three children, and a granddaughter. Does anyone in the Truchas area have information about the family or the events that afternoon?