Albuquerque –
City inspectors closed another problematic hotel in Albuquerque’s West Bluff following the discovery of multiple health and safety violations. This comes on the heels of the closure of the Motel 6 at 6015 Iliff Rd NW, near Coors and I-40, on Tuesday, March 11 (video below). This publication also offers an overview of the major crime incidents at the two troubled motels since 2023, outlined below.
On Thursday, March 13, the City’s Code Enforcement, Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR), and the Environmental Health Department inspected the Days Inn Hotel at 6031 Iliff Rd. NW. The inspection uncovered substantial safety, maintenance, and health risks that pose a threat to both tenants and the property itself.
“As we red tag the fifth problem motel in six months, I hope problem property owners understand our message with absolute clarity: we will not tolerate establishments that endanger our community,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “While shuttering doors is our last resort, we will not stand by when safety is compromised, and we’ll continue to hold drivers of crime accountable.”
“This is another sad example of a property owner choosing to run an operation that harms the neighborhood,” said Planning Department Director Alan Varela. “They let what was once a good property deteriorate to the point where it is not safe to occupy.”
Inspectors identified multiple Code Enforcement violations, including:
- Broken or inoperable heating and cooling units.
- Severe plumbing issues, such as broken faucets and sinks, non-functioning toilets, bathtubs that would not drain, and visible water leaks.
- Structural damage, including broken windows, holes in walls and ceilings, and damaged entry doors. Several room doors failed to secure properly, creating security risks.
- Biohazard concerns, such as unwrapped, used syringes that threaten the health of occupants and workers.
The Environmental Health Department conducted an inspection of the rooms, pool, and hot tub area, identifying additional violations:
- Filthy mattresses, drug paraphernalia, and dead mice and cockroaches in multiple rooms, creating an unsanitary and unlivable environment.
- Poorly maintained pool and hot tub, with non-functional filters and pumps, missing drain suction outlets, a missing emergency phone, and dead cockroaches floating in the water.
A thorough inspection conducted by Albuquerque Fire Rescue uncovered numerous violations of fire safety codes, posing a significant risk to the tenants’ well-being:
- Missing or outdated fire extinguishers.
- Non-functional or missing exit signs, some with exposed wiring that posed an electrical hazard.
- Missing or non-functioning smoke detectors in many rooms.
- Missing or non-operational emergency exit lights.
- A building address that was either not visible or illegible from the main entrance.
- Electrical hazards, such as open junction boxes and exposed wiring, increasing fire risks.
- Storage rooms with breached fire-resistant walls, leaving large holes or missing drywall, making the building more vulnerable to fast-spreading fires.
Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) met with seven individuals, including a family of four, at the hotel. ACS provided assistance in transitioning them to alternative housing and offered support services.
One dog was abandoned by its owners, leading the Animal Welfare Department (AWD) to place it in protective custody. However, if the owners decide to reclaim the dog, they must adhere to the HEART ordinance before taking ownership.
Hotels Finally Shuttered After Over a Decade of Violent Crime, Homicides and Lawsuits
APD responded to the Days Inn on June 30, 2024, for a shooting that resulted in the death of Guillermo Ramirez. On July 18, 2024, Texas deputies arrested Michael Pacheco on a warrant for the murder of Ramirez. Authorities in New Mexico charged Pacheco with open murder and tampering with evidence after he killed Ramirez during a dispute over a romantic matter. The Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office sought Pacheco after he reportedly shot a man on Sunday, July 14, 2024. The man Pacheco shot in Texas was his father. NM courts still show ‘Warrant Issued’ for Pacheco, and officials from New Mexico have not booked him into MDC, as he is still listed as being in the custody of the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office.
On March 14, 2024, authorities in New Mexico reportedly arrested and charged Pacheco with two counts of Trafficking Controlled Substances and one count of Receipt, Transportation, or Possession of a Firearm or Destructive Device by a Felon. Pacheco was released on personal recognizance around March 15 for the drug and gun offenses. The prosecutor dismissed the drug and gun charges (Nolle Prosequi) on April 2, 2024. The murder at the Days Inn occurred 107 days after Pacheco was ROR’d.*
Nine and a half months before the 2024 homicide, authorities responded to another homicide at the Days Inn on September 12, 2023. APD did not release information about any arrests or charges in this incident.
On July 16, 2023, officers arrested and charged Gloria Tesillo with child abuse and possession of a controlled substance in connection to the death of her 6-month-old child at the Days Inn, located at 6031 Iliff Rd. An officer discovered the unresponsive infant in the motel room, but despite life-saving efforts, the child died. When officers started investigating, they found evidence of drug use throughout the motel room and within easy reach of the infants. In December 2024, the District Attorney’s office announced that a judge had sentenced Tesillo to 18 years in prison.
In 2023, the Motel 6 on Iliff had a homicide on April 29, 2023, and a suspicious death investigation on September 30, 2023. APD charged Jose “Angel” Fitzpatrick with the April 29, 2023, shooting death of Damon Howard at the Motel 6. According to a witness, the murder happened because of a drug transaction that reportedly went awry between the two individuals. Police arrested Fitzpatrick on May 4, 2023, following a standoff with SWAT officers. At the time, Fitzpatrick was facing charges including open murder, receiving stolen property, and escape. Due to a plea deal, the court reduced the charges to Involuntary Manslaughter (Negligent Act), and he was sentenced to 8 years in MDC. The court also credited Fitzpatrick with “pre-sentence time credit of 566 days.”
In another incident at the now shuttered motel, APD arrested Anthony McCrady on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at the Motel 6 on Coors Blvd for the shooting death of Raymond Sedillo. Authorities accused McCrady, along with two other suspects, of murdering Sedillo, who was shot while sitting in a vehicle at the In and Out shop on Central Ave. in May 2022. Authorities initially charged McCrady with an open count of first-degree murder. After reaching a plea deal, the court sentenced McCrady to 16 and a half years in prison for his involvement, but suspended 5 years and 5 months of the sentence, leaving him with an actual incarceration time of 11 years.
Both McCrady and Fitzpatrick were felons in possession of a firearm. Pacheco is also a felon in possession, his criminal history reportedly dates back to 2006, when he was 19.
On June 30, 2015, former CNN anchor Lynne Russell and her husband, Chuck de Caro, were victims of an attempted robbery at a Motel 6 at 6015 Iliff. The incident occurred when Russell was attacked by an armed 27-year-old Tomorio Walton, dragged back into the room, and threatened. In the ensuing firefight, de Caro was shot but managed to kill Walton in self-defense. The couple reportedly stayed at the Motel 6, because at the time, it was the only motel they could find that was pet friendly and had availability that same day.
In October of 2015, the couple sued the Motel 6. The lawsuit mentions the high crime rate at the motel, which has been ongoing for over a decade since the filing. In one point it mentions “From 2010 to 2015, Albuquerque Police Department was called out Motel 6 at least 821 times to investigate criminal activity ranging from burglaries, auto-thefts, rapes, prostitution, petty theft, drugs, and other types of criminal and suspicious activity.” It goes on to say “In 2014 alone, the Albuquerque Police Department was called out to Motel 6 at least 166 times, including numerous burglaries of guests’ bedrooms, auto-thefts, and thefts of motel property.” The lawsuit stated that “Even after Motel 6 hired the security company G4S to monitor and survey its property, crime continued at the Motel 6 at astonishing rates.”
*EDITOR NOTE:
An earlier version mentioned that the murder occurred 28 days after the charges against Pacheco were dropped. To clarify, the murder actually occurred 89 days after the charges were dismissed, or 107 days after he was released on his own recognizance (ROR).
There is only one solution, but Americans, especially soft blue-city hippie types, don’t have the belly for it. El Salvador, until recently, was a crime-riddled hellhole much like Albuquerque, but it is now a paradise. Why? They simply rounded up all the scumbags and put them in prison where they belong. But instead of a leader like Bukele, we will receive another Keller, and things will go on as usual. Hippie judges and city councilors will quibble over civil rights and prioritize things like grocery bag bans and bike trails while the streets are plagued with violent diseased drug addicted criminals.
Ha! So now that Timmy is trying to get a third term he’s finally shutting down these criminal havens! I’m convinced that the Liberals destroying our beautiful state are psychopaths.
People staying in this area were afraid to leave their rooms. It’s a lot better now but why did it take so long? We know.
The corridor north of Central to I-40 has turned into a freak show. I went through the drive in at McDonalds and saw a bullet hole in the counter where food is passed through…
If there were ever a doubt about the motel 6 establishments duplicity, I was part of a counter human traffic operation for four years in the City; six of the motels in the city were involved in human traffic operations for my entire four-year tenure. The biggest participant in human traffic operations by far was the motel 6 at Tramway and Central. Gladly, I see the human trafficking motels slowly being closed down and the contributors to the HT scourge being wiped out.
Info@GeorgeHand.org