Richard Powell

On the evening of April 24, 2025, a violent confrontation outside a Southeast Albuquerque apartment complex ended the life of Richard Powell, a 32-year-old male. The disturbance began shortly before 9 p.m. when people started banging on the door and windows of an apartment on Indiana Street S.E. Inside, a woman was with her child and called 911, recognizing the voices outside as her cousin, Munah Green, and Green’s 17-year-old son, Rickey Rodgers.

Richard Powell, the woman's boyfriend, went outside to confront the pair and told them to leave. The argument quickly escalated. From inside the apartment, Powell’s girlfriend heard Green yell, “Get him son, shoot him, shoot him.” She then saw Rodgers pull a black handgun from his waistband and fire several rounds at Powell. After Powell fell to the ground, Rodgers reportedly moved closer and fired more shots as the man struggled to get up. Powell died in the apartment complex courtyard from multiple gunshot wounds.

The investigation into Powell's murder was swift. Detectives learned that Rickey Rodgers was wearing an ankle monitor as part of his probation, and GPS data placed him at the scene of the shooting at the exact time it occurred. The following day, April 25, Albuquerque police, with help from a SWAT team, located Green, 44, and her son near the 900 block of Edith Avenue SE. Both surrendered peacefully and were arrested.

Initially, Green and Rodgers were each charged with an open count of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Green was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center, while Rodgers was taken to the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center. In the following months, both defendants entered into plea agreements. Rodgers pleaded no contest to charges of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. In September 2026, Munah Green also pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and conspiracy.

In October 2026, a judge sentenced Munah Green to 11 years in prison for her role in Richard Powell's death. Rickey Rodgers had an amenability hearing scheduled for the same month to determine how his case would proceed. The case was resolved with Green's sentencing in October 2026.