Man accused of shooting stepmom at Albuquerque graduation ceremony put on house arrest

Madison Conner
·2 min read
125
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The man accused of shooting his stepmother at a graduation ceremony won’t be held behind bars while awaiting trial. The judge made that decision Tuesday as prosecutors argued the victim is still in the hospital and says she’s afraid of what could happen if her stepson Cristian Bencomo is released.

Story continues below

“According to the victim this was unprovoked she has no idea why this happened they haven’t fought he didn’t say anything to her ahead of time,” said State Attorney Casey McKim.

The shooting happened at the Albuquerque Convention Center during a charter school graduation ceremony last week. Police say 21-year-old Cristian Bencomo shot his stepmother in the neck.

At the hearing, the state emphasized the violent nature of the shooting saying there’s no way to know that Bencomo won’t do something like this again. Prosecutors also argued that Bencomo put dozens of people in danger at the convention center when he’s accused of shooting his step-mom but the defense argued that Bencomo has no prior arrests and could go live with his grandmother.

“The state is asking the court to hold Mr. Bencomo based solely on the nature of the allegations as the state has acknowledged and the court can see in exhibit one and exhibit two Mr. Bencomo has absolutely no criminal history,” said Tess Williams, Bencomo’s attorney.

Judge Emeterio Rudolfo ultimately sided with the defense saying that while he believes Bencomo is a threat, prosecutors did not prove that jail is the only place that could keep Bencomo away from harming others.

The judge opted to place Bencomo on a GPS monitor and house arrest where he’ll live with his grandma.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.