Disclaimer: This article contains information about a criminal act and may be distressing for some readers. Please read at your own discretion.
A New Mexico teen has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting to opening fire on a car and killing a woman in front of her young daughter.
The incident happened in 2022, and the teen, Ty Gallegos, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
The tragic event occurred in March 2022. Two teenagers informed Gallegos and two other individuals that someone in an SUV had robbed them at a gas station.
Believing Montaño’s car was involved, they opened fire, killing Kayla Montaño and injuring her fiancé. Montaño’s seven-year-old daughter was in the car and witnessed the entire incident. Her fiancé managed to escape and drive to the hospital.
According to the source, Albuquerque police confirmed it was a case of mistaken identity. The teens tracked a stolen phone to the gas station and wrongly believed Montaño’s car was the one involved in the robbery.
Gracie Gonzalez, Montaño’s mother, expressed her sorrow and empathy, saying, “It’s a shame because not only did they take her life and destroy our lives, but they destroyed theirs and their families.
And I actually feel for those parents, but at least they get to visit their kids, while I no longer get that luxury.” The shooters were minors at the time of the crime.
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The trial for Gallegos and another teen began in May, and both pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Two other suspects are set to be tried in August.
Montaño’s mother shared that the family has moved out of Albuquerque due to the trauma. “We no longer live in Albuquerque because Kayla’s little girl couldn’t sit upright in a car.
She would scooch down so far so that nobody could see her through the window because she was terrified,” Gonzalez told KOB 4.