A Deadly Massacre

Chimayo sits in the north central part of New Mexico, in Rio Arriba County, about an hour and a half from Albuquerque and half an hour from Santa Fe. It is a census-designated place of 5.5 square miles and 2,572 people, high in the mountains at 6,730 feet. The village is famous for El Santuario de Chimayo, a chapel built privately in 1816 and handed to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 1929, where pilgrims come to touch the holy dirt, and for its heirloom chillies. It has also been known since the mid-20th century as a remote centre of heroin distribution.

the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it By 1991 he was 28, a self-employed carpenter who lived in a trailer in the mountains outside the village. this part of the story is covered for now In 1989 his girlfriend, Ignacia Vazquez Sandoval, moved into the trailer with him. Her 14-year-old son Eloy, her 19-year-old daughter Mary Ellen, Mary Ellen's 21-year-old boyfriend Macario Gonzales, their six-month-old son Justin and Ignacia's 16-year-old sister Selena all lived there too.

details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it She went to the police and gave a statement to domestic violence hearing officer Carol J. Vidgel, asking for a restraining order so she could move out safely. this part of the story is covered for now

details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it Around noon Ignacia arrived with relatives, a U-Haul and three cars. Eloy cut the padlock with wire cutters, and Martinez, who had returned, let them go in and pack. this part of the story is covered for now Sheryl, Ignacia's 25-year-old sister, was there with her children Roland and Nikki, and a neighbour, Peter Martinez, had been hired to help load. Then Deputy Martinez left to investigate a tip about a stolen car, and officer Glen Huber, who had stopped by, drove away.

details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it He shot Macario Gonzales in the back as he loaded the U-Haul. Mary Ellen ran out with Justin in her arms and both were shot in the head; investigators never established whether one bullet passed through both of them. this part of the story is covered for now He shot Sheryl Rendon in the back of the head as she knelt on the kitchen floor. He shot Ignacia in the finger and then in the face, killing her. Outside again, he shot Eloy a second time, in the groin.

Deputy Jerry Martinez returned and was shot twice in the head as he got out of his car. details of the account remain covered until revealed Huber, a former army first lieutenant who had joined the state police in 1981, was killed instantly. Martinez, an army paratrooper who planned to run for sheriff in 1992, left a wife and two children, one of them two weeks old. Seven people were dead, including a six-month-old baby and two police officers; Eloy Sandoval was the only person shot who survived. At the time it was the worst mass slaying in modern New Mexico history.

the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it About 30 officers surrounded the trailer and stormed it hours later. They found the two women dead inside and the baby under a truck. this part of the story is covered for now A manhunt with helicopters and dogs followed, and officers found his cigarette butts on a bluff overlooking the scene. The search was called off at dark.

details of the account remain covered until revealed Sanchez and other relatives drove him to a police station near Albuquerque, where he gave himself up. On Monday he was arraigned on four counts of first-degree murder for Cheryl Rendon, Mary Ellen Sandoval, Ignacia Sandoval and Glenn Huber, two counts of second-degree murder for Macario Gonzales and Jerry Martinez, and one count of involuntary manslaughter for baby Justin. Magistrate Richard C. Martinez ordered him held without bail.

the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed the rest of this account is covered until you choose to reveal it this part of the story is covered for now details of the account remain covered until revealed Eloy Sandoval recovered, and in 1999 he was reported to be restoring his mother's 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix in her memory. Twenty-four years after the killings the sheriff's office retired Deputy Martinez's badge.