Plea deal for man accused in 2021 road-rage killing falls through

Nicholas Gilmore, The Santa Fe New Mexican
·2 min read

Apr. 24—A signed plea deal for a man accused of first-degree murder in a 2021 road rage incident fell through during a Wednesday court hearing after the suspect said he didn't understand the prison terms in the agreement.

The plea deal would have given Eleazar Flores-Torres, 50, an 18-year prison sentence with the possibility of having up to 15 years suspended. Flores-Torres signed the agreement earlier this month, prosecutors told a district court judge.

Flores-Torres is accused of running over and killing Joaquin Martin during an altercation near the intersection of Rufina Street and Richards Avenue.

Flores-Torres, his wife and their 1-year-old child were headed west on Rufina Street in a Jeep Cherokee when he attempted a U-turn, cutting off two other drivers, including Martin, who got out of his car and began arguing with Flores-Torres, according to a criminal complaint.

The argument escalated, the complaint says, and Flores-Torres struck Martin with his Jeep Cherokee.

Martin was clinging to the Jeep's hood when Flores-Torres made another U-turn, which caused Martin to fall to the ground in front of the Jeep, the complaint said. After Martin fell, Flores-Torres drove over him, reversed back over him and then drove over him again before fleeing, the complaint says.

Defense attorney John Huntley informed state District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer during the hearing the relationship between he and Flores-Torres had "broken down," adding his client made allegations of "very serious professional misconduct" against him. Huntley didn't elaborate on the allegations.

Flores-Torres, speaking through a translator in Spanish, told the judge he supported the deal but that another translator had misunderstood him during a recent meeting with his attorney.

When Marlowe Sommer asked him if he understood the terms of incarceration in the deal, he answered, "Not really."

Flores-Torres' attorney — a contractor with the Public Defender's Office — moved to withdraw from the case during the hearing.

Prosecutors told the judge the plea deal would remain on the table for Flores-Torres.

A spokeswoman with the Public Defender's Office provided a comment from deputy chief of contract counsel Randy Chavez, who said "miscommunications like this happen occasionally, and a new attorney will be assigned to Mr. Flores-Torres' case after the court signs off on the change."