Benjamin Montoya was 21 when he was fatally shot in the chest in the parking lot of the Town House Motel on West Picacho Avenue in Las Cruces during the late hours of April 22, 2017. He had been in a motel room with his pregnant, on-again, off-again girlfriend, Dakota Ocampo, and a friend, Joel Arciniega-Saenz, when an argument turned physical. During the altercation Montoya was pushed onto the bed, a gun was produced, and a single shot struck him; he stumbled into the parking lot and collapsed, calling for help.

Investigators encountered conflicting accounts at the scene. Ocampo identified Arciniega-Saenz as the shooter and said he had made unwanted romantic advances toward her. Arciniega-Saenz told police that a petite, unknown woman had entered, argued with Montoya, then shot him and fled. Arciniega-Saenz was arrested and initially charged with murder; a grand jury indicted him for first-degree murder on May 4, 2017. On April 20, 2018, prosecutors dismissed the murder charges, leaving the question of who shot Benjamin Montoya unresolved.

If anyone knew Benjamin, was at the motel that night, or has information about the people involved, please share what is known.