Michael LaMotte, 14, was shot once in the front of the head and killed inside a dorm room at the Casas Del Rio complex on the University of New Mexico main campus in the early hours of Friday, July 25, 2025.

Investigators recovered blood, a pair of jeans, keys, and a stolen 9mm handgun on a nearby campus rooftop while tracing the suspect’s movements. By that afternoon New Mexico State Police arrested 18-year-old John Fuentes; prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence, and a judge ordered him held pending trial. Reporting based on released audio and records says the group had used drugs and alcohol beforehand and prosecutors allege Fuentes was under the influence of multiple substances.

Michael was found slumped in a chair after officers breached the dorm through a window following calls about a gun-wielding suspect and a gunshot-detection alert; the family’s attorney questioned whether the response was timely. Additional charges related to the night named Michael’s half-brother, Zion Miera, and another man, Daniel Archuleta. If anyone knew Michael, was at Casas Del Rio that night, or has information about what happened, please come forward.