By: ABQRAW staff
Posted: 8/4/2023 @7:45AM
Albuquerque – APD tells us that their detectives arrested two teens overnight for the July 4, 2023, murder of Alana Gamboa during a drug deal robbery in Southeast Albuquerque.
APD Homicide detectives obtained an arrest warrant on Thursday for 14-year-old Lorenzo Lovato. He was tracked down on Thursday and arrested by detectives with APD’s ISU -Investigative Support Unit at an apartment complex on Girard Blvd., S.E. During the arrest, detectives also detained Micalas McClendon, Jr., 15, who was also questioned about the murder. McClendon gave inconsistent statements, but he admitted to shooting Gamboa during the robbery.
Homicide detectives determined through investigation that Lovato, who went by the nickname, “Lil Benzo,” arranged to purchase mushrooms and marijuana cartridge vaporizer pens (vape pens) from Gamboa. But witnesses said all along Lovato was only setting Gamboa up to rob her.
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Alana Gamboa, July 4th, 2023, victim of a homicide near Columbia Dr. and Kathryn Dr. S.E.
Gamboa and Lovato were communicating through social media and agreed to meet in the area of Columbia Dr. and Kathryn Dr., S.E. When Gamboa arrived, around 12:35 a.m., she was shot as she sat in the driver’s seat of her car and she reportedly reached for a gun. Gamboa died as a result of a gunshot that went through her arm and struck her heart and lungs.
Detectives pieced together the details of the murder based on social media conversations, information from witnesses and surveillance video. Once Lovato was identified, detectives learned he was on supervised probation with the juvenile probation office. They obtained a search warrant for Lovato’s phone number and determined Lovato’s phone was at the scene when Gamboa was shot.
Since they are children Lovato and McClendon were booked overnight into the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center.
The investigation is ongoing, and we will update if more information is released.