James Dukette, 54, was found shot on the family property in the 900 block of Morning Drive in Santa Fe on the afternoon of May 25, 2024. Police responding just before 3 p.m. discovered him face down with two gunshot wounds to his torso; he was taken to a hospital and later died. His death was recorded as the city’s first homicide of 2024.

His adult son, 34-year-old Zachary Dukette, was at the scene when officers arrived and was arrested after reportedly telling an officer twice that he had shot. Investigators recovered three bullet casings near James’s body and a handgun in Zachary’s car. Court records and witness statements describe a rocky relationship: James had said he feared his son, had taken and paid for his son’s firearms months earlier, and had filed for an order of protection after a 2023 assault charge that was later dismissed.

At arraignment on May 29, 2024, Zachary appeared via video and maintained his innocence while prosecutors moved to keep him jailed pending trial. Did anyone in the area witness the events on Morning Drive that afternoon or have information about the relationship between James and Zachary?