6 teens arrested for June 26 murder of NE Heights man

Albuquerque police arrested six juveniles Thursday in connection withthe June 26 murder of Stephen Gerecke in his northeast Albuquerque driveway.

Four of the teens – all male – will be charged as adults. They are 16-year-old Christopher Rodriguez, 16-year-old Jeremiah King, 15-year-old Andrew Hubler and 17-year-old Ryan Archibeque.

KOB is not naming the other two teen boys charged, as they will be charged as juveniles.

All six face murder charges.

One of the boys who will be charged as juveniles told detectives he and his friends wanted to go “car and house mobbing,” according to a police report – meaning go break into cars and houses in a large group.

The teen said he was with King, Rodriguez, Hubler, Archibeque and the other charged teen, as well as three other teen boys who he said he did not know.

He told police they were “mobbing” near the 6700 block of Kelly Ann NE, and stole money, a TV and a wallet from a home on the block. He told detectives that a man came out of the house they had robbed with a silver rifle.

The teen told detectives that King fired three shots at the man. The first shot knocked King over, but he got up and fired twice more.

The teens then ran back to the stolen SUV they were riding in and then drove off to rob more houses. The police report does not say whether or not the man was hit.

They then went to the 1400 block of Chihuahua NE to rob more houses. The teen told police he was sitting in the back seat of the stolen car when he heard gunshots coming from a house just west of where the car was parked, and then heard a man moaning in the same area.

He told police that King, Rodriguez, Hubler and Archibeque all ran back to the stolen car, and that King – who was holding the gun – began bragging about shooting a man in the face.

They then went to rob more houses and cars and stole two more cars – a red Ford Explorer and a white Lexus SUV.

They then drove to McDonald’s and to a Smith’s near UNM before the teen was dropped off. Before ending their “mobbing” spree, the teens allegedly drove to an intersection near Juan Tabo and I-40 to discard the stolen items they didn’t want.

The teen identified King as the shooter in Gerecke’s murder.

Gerecke had just gotten home from work at Spectators Sports Bar. His granddaughter told KOB he was getting ready to walk his dog when he was greeted by thieves in his living room. She says he chased them out, but he was shot in his driveway.

ANOTHER VICTIM TALKS

Another man told KOB Thursday night he woke up to the same teens in his bedroom.

“I listened a minute and then I said, ‘hey, what are you doing?!’ you know, like real loud,” said the man, who wished to be identified only as Charles. “Then, boy, I could really hear them moving, so I jumped up and started to put my pants on, but I didn’t have any pants. They had taken them. It had my car keys, my wallet – everything in it.”

Police would later learn the teens stole his credit card and used it at a nearby McDonald’s – one of the many clues that led APD to their arrest.

Charles says he chased the teens and feels lucky to be alive.

“When I chased them out, when they finally went out the door – I grabbed a .308 and I had it loaded,” Charles said. “I ran to the front door.”

He says the teens took off in a pickup and fired three shots in the air as they drove away.

Gerecke’s wife said she is getting ready for her husband’s memorial service tomorrow.

The two teens not charged as adults are in custody at CYFD.

-Originally published at KOB.com