Murder suspect who cut off ankle monitor is on the run, New Mexico officials say
A wanted murder suspect is at large in New Mexico, authorities announced this week.
Joe Anderson, 41, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder last year, the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office said in a news release published on Wednesday. One day earlier, Anderson had cut off his ankle monitor and remained on the run after county prosecutors requested that the district court issue a warrant for the man's arrest, according to the release.
Anderson is accused of killing another man, Raymond Aviles, in southeast Albuquerque last August, CBS affiliate KRQE reported. Investigators have alleged that Anderson shot Aviles as the victim attempted to flee the area on a motorcycle — which Anderson is suspected to have lent to Aviles, who did not return it to him — according to the station.
Anderson was indicted and taken into custody in 2022, the district attorney said, but he was released conditionally in January on a district court ruling that allowed for his discharge pending trial. However, on Monday, a review of Anderson's case by the New Mexico Supreme Court overruled the district court's decision and called for the man's return to custody.
The high court's ruling prompted county prosecutors to request the amended arrest warrant from the district court Tuesday, just before learning that Anderson had removed his ankle monitor.
"This is exactly why we filed pretrial detention in this matter. Unfortunately this individual has cut off his ankle monitor and is in the wind," said Sam Bregman, the district attorney in Bernalillo County, in a statement included in Wednesday's news release.
Anderson was previously convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 2016, for an alleged crime unrelated to the first-degree murder charge he currently faces, "and has an extensive criminal history," the district attorney said. Law enforcement with the district attorney's office in Bernalillo County are being assisted by officers from other agencies, which the office did not name outright in its release, as they continue to search for Anderson.
Authorities are asking anyone with knowledge of Anderson's whereabouts to report it to Crime Stoppers via phone or online, where anonymous tips can be submitted. They are offer a $2,500 reward for relevant information.
