Foothills Homicide Suspect Now Also Charged with Sexually Assaulting His Daughter

Albuquerque –

Additional information has emerged regarding Juan R. Portillo Mendez, 43, who is accused of bludgeoning to death 40-year-old Humberto Dominguez-Ortiz at his residence in the Foothills area during the late hours of August 11th. Portillo Mendez is known to law enforcement and is now facing additional charges that were filed on August 15th.

We have now learned that on August 13, 2025, additional charges were filed against Portillo Mendez this case was being investigated by APD’s Crimes Against Children’s Unit (CACU) at the time of his arrest for the homicide.

The criminal complaint states that the investigation began after investigators received a report in which a minor disclosed that her father, Juan Rodolfo Portillo Mendez, had sexually abused her about a year earlier. The child’s mother confirmed the daughter had stayed with him briefly in May 2024 but said she was unaware of the allegations until notified.

During a forensic interview, the minor explained that her father had taken her for a driving lesson. While in the truck, he touched her thigh, and she moved his hand away. Later that day at Portillo Mendez’s home, the minor said her father asked her for some of her THC. As they were in the living room, he touched her lap, and when she moved his hand away, he touched her lap again and said, “I’m starting to forget you are my daughter.”

The minor stated that the next morning, Portillo Mendez asked her to watch a movie with him. He than began to touch her inappropriately. The minor told the investigator she was scared and froze. Her father then took off her pants and sexually assaulted her. Portillo Mendez then instructed her to take a shower before her mother picked her up. As the minor was changing, Portillo Mendez entered the room and told her not to tell her mother or anyone else about what had happened.

Based on the minor’s account, Juan Rodolfo Portillo Mendez is being charged with criminal sexual penetration (Child 13 – 16), criminal sexual contact of a minor (Force or Coercion), abuse of a child and bribery of a witness. All four counts are felony level offenses.

Portillo Mendez Allegedly Threatened to Kill Former Spouse, Stalked Her on Multiple Occasions

On March 6, 2025, at approximately 8:46 AM, an officer from the Albuquerque Police Department was dispatched to a business in the area of Alexander Blvd NE and Desert Surf Cir NE, in reference to a domestic dispute. Dispatch advised officers that a female employee’s ex-husband had arrived at her place of employment and made threats concerning her safety.

Upon arrival, the APD officer spoke with the female reporting party, who identified her ex-husband as Juan Rodolfo Portillo Mendez. They had been divorced for about two years. Despite the divorce, she articulated to police that Portillo Mendez had continued to contact her by phone and had shown up at both her home and workplace uninvited.

She told the officer that Portillo Mendez uses crystal methamphetamine and had been making paranoid statements such as, “You have cameras on my truck and at my home.” She described his behavior as incoherent, paranoid, and not normal. She stated he had become increasingly persistent in attempting to see her, despite being told not to contact her.

She also said that Portillo-Mendez threatened to hire someone to shoot and kill her, stating that the cost would be only five hundred dollars. She expressed that she feared for her life, believing he was not in a sound state of mind.

She further expressed that she no longer felt safe at her home. On March 3, 2025, Portillo Mendez had reportedly arrived at her residence, where he attempted to speak with her. A family member spoke to him, told him to leave, and advised him not to make further contact. Portillo Mendez left the area but resumed calling shortly after using multiple phone numbers. She provided the officer with call logs showing several incoming calls starting around 4:00 AM on the date of the incident.

She disclosed a history of physical and emotional abuse during the relationship and articulated that the ongoing harassment had caused significant anxiety. She also said to the officer that Portillo Mendez owned a 9mm firearm during their marriage but could not confirm if he was still in possession of it.

An employee of business where the ex-wife worked confirmed that, around 6:00 AM on the same date, Portillo Mendez had been present in the parking lot. According to the employee, Portillo Mendez approached and said he needed to speak with the female employee. During the interaction, the employee asked if Portillo Mendez was using drugs, to which he responded affirmatively.

The employee notified the female party via text message and advised her not to come to work due to Portillo Mendez’s presence.

The employee also reported that Portillo Mendez made several alarming threats, including, “I’m going to shoot her, kill myself, and burn the truck because I’m not going to jail.” Portillo Mendez also allegedly said he would shoot anyone who tried to stop him from reaching the female party. The employee told the officer that Portillo Mendez remained in the parking lot for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Surveillance footage later showed Portillo Mendez on the property again around 8:00 AM.

While the officer was speaking with both the reporting party and the employee, multiple phone calls from Portillo Mendez were received on the female party’s phone. The officer advised her to block the numbers to prevent further contact.

An APD officer conducted a follow-up at an address associated with Portillo Mendez in law enforcement databases. A traffic stop was initiated, and Portillo Mendez was taken into custody without incident.

The officer attempted to advise Portillo Mendez of his Miranda rights, but he immediately refused to speak. No further questions were asked by police. However, without prompting, Portillo Mendez stated, “I tried calling you guys, the cops didn’t do anything. I’ve gone to the hospital and that didn’t help either.”

In March of 2025, Juan Rodolfo was arrested and charged for the following offenses:

• 30-03A-03: Stalking
• 30-20-12: Threats/Use of Telephone to Terrify/Intimidate
• 30-20-16-B: Shooting Threat

The charges in this case were ultimately dismissed by the prosecution due to the prosecution’s inability to proceed. In many domestic violence cases, the alleged victim may be unwilling or fearful to participate in the legal process, which can result in the case not moving forward.

Portillo Mendez Had Prior Domestic Violence Charge, Long Legal History

In July 2010, Portillo Mendez was charged with DWI first offense, careless driving, open container of alcohol – first offense and failure to appear in court. The charges were dismissed in August of 2011, because the officer purportedly failed to appear, so the prosecution dismissed the case.

In October of 2010, he was charged with assault against a household member and failure to appear in court. This domestic violence charge appears to involve a different female victim than the ex-wife from the 2025 charges. In September of 2011, he pleaded guilty to assault against a household member.

Portillo Mendez was charged with driving on a revoked license, driving on roadways laned for traffic, no proof of financial responsibility and improper display of license plate or temporary permit in January of 2014. Everything was dismissed, per NM courts it was “Dismissed – Lack of Prosecution.”

In August 2024, he was charged with Resisting, Evading or Obstructing an Officer (Refusal to Stop) and failure to Maintain Traffic Lane. The criminal complaint reports Portillo Mendez fled a Sandia Police Department traffic stop and the New Mexico State Police was requested to assist. At one point, Portillo Mendez was traveling in excess of 90mph. On September 18, 2024, this case was dismissed because the prosecution failed to appear.

The Albuquerque Police Department released the information related to the most recent case involving Portillo Mendez, who is reportedly under investigation for an alleged assault involving a juvenile relative.