Posted By: ABQ RAW Staff
Posted On: 11/15/2023 @3:15PM
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Albuquerque –
On Tuesday, November 14th, 2023, APD detectives took into custody a mother and her two teenage children for the murder of Santiago Roybal on October 18, 2023, at an apartment situated at 3210 Tulane Dr., N.E.
Raeanna Ruiz, 34, was arrested Tuesday morning in Rio Rancho after APD detectives obtained an arrest warrant on Monday, November 13. Ruiz’s two children, 16-year-old Dylana Barela and 15-year-old Christopher Barela, were also apprehended at the Rio Rancho residence. During the arrest, Dylana Barela confessed to firing the shots that led to Roybal’s death.
Video surveillance footage captured Ruiz and her children chasing Roybal on October 18, just before 11:00 AM, as Roybal sought refuge in an apartment complex and entered a friend’s apartment. The tenant of the apartment informed detectives that he let Roybal in and witnessed him being shot as he closed the door behind him. Roybal sustained at least one gunshot wound to the chest area and died from his wounds at the scene. The tenant of the apartment was also shot in the abdomen during the incident but survived his injuries. The surveillance video with audio records a female voice yelling, “Shoot through the door,” followed by four distinct gunshots. A male and female were then observed fleeing down the stairs away from the apartment.
Earlier footage shows Ruiz driving a white SUV in the neighborhood, attempting to locate Roybal. The video depicts the victim fleeing from the SUV occupied by the trio. Dylana Barela admitted to detectives that she and her brother, armed with a baseball bat, pursued Roybal up the stairs.
Phone and social media evidence indicate that Ruiz informed a friend that Roybal was stealing something from her backyard before the shooting.
During Dylana Barela’s interrogation, she reportedly disclosed to detectives that she suspected a man had been stalking her and peering into her window in recent months. She claimed to have seen a man in the backyard, informed her mother, and armed herself with a handgun. Her brother grabbed a bat, and the three went searching for the individual. Ruiz’s residence was in proximity to the shooting scene.
Ruiz and her two children are facing charges of an open count of murder, tampering with evidence, and conspiracy. Ruiz will be booked tonight into the Metro Detention Center, while her children will be booked into the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center.
The murder of Santiago Roybal was the 121st homicide for 2023.
Footage from the scene can be found HERE: