ALBUQUERQUE – APD detectives arrested William Garcia today for his role in the 2024 murder of Scott Habermehl who was riding his bike to work.
Garcia, who was 15 at the time of the murder, is one of three boys accused of intentionally crashing a stolen car into a Habermehl, killing the 63-year-old man who was on his way to work at Sandia National Laboratory.
Johnathan Overbay was arrested on Monday. Overbay, 13, and Garcia, 16, were charged on March 14, 2025 on an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm or death and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person.
Messiah Hayes, 11, was located by APD detectives on Tuesday and is currently in CYFD custody.
The boys videotaped the crash on May 29, 2024, from inside the car as the driver swerved from the southbound lane on Moon St. onto a dedicated bike lane and struck Habermehl. The kids in the car saw the flashing light on the bicycle and audio of the recording indicated they planned to hit the bicyclist.
APD’s Fatal Crash team investigated the deadly crash, but did not determine who was in the car that struck Habermehl. A Crime Stoppers bulletin publicized a video image of the car from a nearby church.
In February, APD received an anonymous tip that cell phone video of the crash had been posted on social media. The tip included the identity of the Instagram account its user. The case was turned over to the Homicide Unit on Feb. 25, 2025.
As detectives worked to investigate the Instagram account, which had been flagged in a separate investigation, a middle school principal reported to Albuquerque Public Schools police that a student reported the same video of the crash.
Detectives secured warrants for social media accounts and a search of phones that were previously seized from Hayes and Overbay during a separate investigation in June 2024. APD’s Digital Intelligence Team identified several video clips showing the Garcia, Overbay and Hayes, including the original video of the crash.
That video, which includes audio, captured conversation between the boys as the driver, believed to be Overbay, said he was about to hit the bicyclist and the vehicle appears to accelerate. The back passenger, believed to be Garcia, said not to hit the bicyclist going too fast. “Just bump him, brah.” The driver responded, “Like bump him?” The back passenger repeated, “Yeah, just bump him. Go like…15…20.”
As the vehicle approached the intersection of Moon St. and Atkinson Ave., the front passenger, believed to be Hayes who was waving a handgun, ducked and laughed as the front, passenger side of the vehicle struck Habermehl. There were loud sounds, including metal flexing, as the momentum of the crash carried Habermehl and his bicycle on top, and off, the passenger side of the vehicle.
Yes!!!!!!!
Anyone can now run their own anonymous opinion blog and be published on Google as a serious news source, apparently. Not defending the suspects, just pointing out obvious bias that could influence (or otherwise compromise) the case. I mean, could you imagine if the prosecutors used such blatantly loaded and hostile language in court? The case would end up getting tossed out, or declared a mistrial. Turns out, there are still laws we have to follow whether we agree with those laws or not.
Are you referring to the article, or the self-incriminating video these thugs posted?
These 3 punks deserve the Kim Jung Un treatment….”North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful uncle was stripped naked, thrown into a cage, and eaten alive by a pack of ravenous dogs.” January 2024 NBC News. Ain’t saying….
Until the all-knowing and powerful Marxist/progressive legislative geniuses, DA’s, governors, mayors, city counselors, county commissioners, law enforcement leadership, and AG’s, who fully embrace the belief that these criminals are “victims” of some absurd, deep-rooted, familial or educational psychobabble gibberish, and get serious about throwing ALL juvies who commit these barbaric/sub-human crimes against other people and animals, along WITH THEIR PARENT(S) in the BIG HOUSE, where they’ll be locked up with adult homiecide murder criminals for at least 25 to life, NOTHING will come of this disgusting, heartbreaking tragedy.
Sadly, this, along with all of the other tragedies committed by the very same degenerate, homie thug, punk kids will just go on after they’re 21 and released, (if they’re even locked up that long), and commit the very same or worse crimes. Then, as always, it’ll simply be yet another pathetic joke putting New Mexico in the public stocks and on the leading edge of list of WORST STATES to live in because of the out-of-control crime.
80+ years of voting the same way for the same kinds of previously described morons, and expecting anything different is the very definition of political insanity!!!
Two of our previous three governors were Republican/Libertarian… I’m also not sure you know what Marxism is.
>Humble Seeking Wisdom
More like ‘Ignorant Seeking Bias Confirmation.’
You come across as a failed comedian doing a stage act. If you were trying to come across as an educated man, you failed. The only thing we can agree on is this punk needs to be tried as an adult and get the maximum sentence, Everything else you said is just psychobabble.
We, as a society, have produced these disgusting excuses for people. Blaming their horrific behavior on our elected representatives is a cop-out. Children have no business driving around at 4AM with guns in a stolen car, running over people who are going to work. The governor didn’t make them do that. Neither did the Mayor or your other representatives. THEIR PARENTS allowed them to do it!!!!
Three scum bag teens = six scum bag parents
You mean baby makers, right? They have no clue what the word PARENT means, nor are they one.
So just force them to give birth and force them against their nature into being parents?
You know how Mr. Habermehl would still be alive? If these kids had never been born at all.
Good job on the performative virtue-signaling over the sanctity of life as a pretext to gain control over women’s bodies and population rates.
So just force them to give birth and force them against their nature into being parents?
You know how Mr. Habermehl would still be alive? If these kids had never been born at all.
Good job on the performative virtue-signaling over the sanctity of life as a pretext to gain control over women’s bodies and population rates.
Wtf are you talking above it.
Do you really think this was their first offense? The police are inundated with an enormous amount of crime. Why? Because our judicial system( DistrictAttorneys /judges) are NOT prosecuting misdemeanors. Misdemeanors that are not prosecuted, lead to bigger crimes.
When I was young, if a kid didn’t get discipline at home, he learn it from law enforcement, quickly.
A Governor can fire District Attorneys who are not following the law. Misdemeanors need to be prosecuted.
Law enforcement are overwhelmed with criminal cases because so many Chicken Littles, who live their lives in fear of literally all crime, will report even the most ridiculous of offenses; and the police have to waste time and resources on each one of those complaints.
“Chicken littles”… interesting take.
ppl stopped calling. Because the wait is long, and many time the police never come b/c they’re dealing with bigger crimes. That is part of the problem why crime looks like it went down. Also, Biden administration removed the mandate that forced states to report crime to the Feds. That is why the FBI Report says crime went down. If you don’t believe me , even NPR reported this mandate removal.
Prosecuting misdemeanors would have brought attention to These youth’s homes, where there was most likely abuse.
Stopping abuse, EARLY…. Lowering the kids chances of committing bigger crimes/brutal killings. Are you not for that?
The judicial system is breaking the law. Because misdemeanors are supposed to be prosecuted. It IS the law. And studies proving it prevents bigger crimes
A man is dead, brutally killed, and young kids are now criminal of violent crime, ruining their lives. All the govenor would have to do is fire one district attorney that is not prosecuting misdemeanors , and the rest would realize she is serious about fighting crime.
Of course it wasn’t their first offense. Did you even read my comment? Rotten kids like these don’t give a damn about what the law says, or how many laws we make or how many DA’s we fire or anything else. My point is in the form of a question: “how did they GET that way?” . The DA isn’t raising those kids. The Mayor isn’t raising those kids. The Governor isn’t raising those kids. And, apparently, their PARENTS aren’t raising them either! And, for some reason, I will bet that putting those kids into a room filled with law books won’t make anything better. Those kids needed good parenting when they were younger, and they obviously didn’t get it.
Paul I replied to a different comment. I’m saying if the governor fired one DA who is not prosecuting as they should, it would signal to the entire state they better start prosecuting more.
There are studies about when misdemeanors are not prosecuted, they lead to bigger crimes. And I agree. Terrible parents, parenting. They’d have a better chance on life if the judicial systems did their job.
The police and our judicial system are tasked with dealing with crimes which are currently in progress or have already been committed. I am more interested in preventing the circumstances which led up to the commission of the crime in the first place. Has anyone ever heard of stopping the commission of a crime by reminding the prospective criminal of the penal code and its penalties? Maybe in the movies, but not in real life.
Unfortunately, there are way more baby makers than there are real parents.
[…] Garcia, who was 15 at the time of the murder, is one of three boys accused of intentionally crashing a stolen car into a Habermehl, killing the 63-year-old man who was on his way to work at Sandia National Laboratory. More Here […]
Why even catch them? They’re going to get off easy and probably get awarded the homicide scholarship.
ZACKLY, Dave!!! ZACKLY!!!
Why is it that the 2 youngest kids are not competent enough to be charged as adults because the experts claim they do not yet have the maturity to make right decisions but they can tell you they are a different gender and we have to agree. Either they can make mature informed decisions across the board or not.
I’m not sure that gender identity is the same issue, but I do think that the crime committed should dictate the handling and treatment of the offender, regardless of the age, and should ALSO include the responsible person(s) for that behavior (parents). Out penal code needs to be completely rewritten for today’s bizarre world.