Thomas Trujillo, a 57-year-old Hispanic man, was found dead in the living room of a Santa Fe home on the morning of June 29, 2018. He had been shot three times, once in the chest and twice in the back. He had been drinking the evening before with his girlfriend, Felicia Valencia, and her elderly father, 84-year-old Ben Noverto Martinez, at Martinez’s residence.

Martinez was arrested and charged in connection with Trujillo’s death. Initial first-degree murder and tampering with evidence charges were dropped in October 2018 and later refiled in June 2022, a delay that extended the case. During the long interval before trial, a key witness, Felicia Valencia’s son, died; the defense said that loss impaired their ability to mount an effective defense but the court denied dismissal motions and the trial went ahead.

In October 2023 a jury convicted Ben Noverto Martinez of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence; Martinez testified he found Trujillo dead and insisted he was a good man. Anyone with information about Thomas Trujillo, his last hours, or the events at Martinez’s home is urged to come forward.