Elias Otero was 24 when he was shot and killed on February 11, 2021, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A former corrections officer at the Metropolitan Detention Center, he was described as brave, strong, protective of his family and the voice of reason. The killing occurred after Elias’s younger brother, Nicholas, was lured to a meeting arranged over social media and ambushed by a group that included 17-year-old Adrian Avila and 18-year-old Anna Bella Dukes. The assailants carjacked Nicholas, stole his cash, jewelry and cards, then forced him to call Elias and threatened to kill him unless Elias brought money and a gun outside.

Elias came out to confront the attackers; during the confrontation Avila fired a gun, striking and killing him in the street. Nicholas escaped as the suspects fled. Albuquerque police identified Avila and Dukes as the primary suspects and linked a vehicle used in the incident to a separate carjacking. Avila turned himself in December 2021 and Dukes was arrested in January 2022; both were charged with murder, kidnapping, armed robbery with a deadly weapon, tampering with evidence and conspiracy. Elias’s family says the loss was immeasurable.

If anyone knew Elias, Nicholas, or saw activity near Timothy Court S.W. around February 11, 2021, does anyone have information to share?