Zachary Schaefer was 27 when he was killed on the night of April 1, 2020, in a university-area neighborhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Friends and family remembered him as easy-going, a lover of animals and music who played guitar. He also told a friend he was bringing a firearm for protection.

Police found Zachary dead in the street near Gold Avenue and Maple Street NE after reports of an argument and gunfire; he had been shot multiple times and was wearing body armor. Investigators traced parts from a crashed black car to relatives of a man nicknamed Blue, identified as Shaquan Ketcham, and found receipts with his name in the damaged vehicle. In March 2021 authorities arrested 20-year-old Ketcham on an open count of murder.

Ketcham later pleaded guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence and cooperated with investigators, saying he and two brothers, Jeremiah and Jeffrey Denton, had planned to rob Zachary during a drug buy. Ketcham described a struggle and multiple shots fired; DNA under Zachary’s fingernails later matched Jeremiah Denton. Ketcham received a 13-year sentence; authorities charged Jeremiah Denton with murder and the case was advancing through court as of March 2024.

Does anyone have information about Zachary’s movements that night or about contacts who knew the three men involved?