New Mexico murder suspect arrested in Las Cruces; accomplice still on run, police say

A Santa Fe murder suspect on the run for nearly a week was arrested in Las Cruces after an alleged armed robbery and carjacking.

Zachary Ryan Babitz, 38, is accused of shooting and killing 83-year-old Gordan Peter Wilson at a Best Buy parking lot in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during another carjacking on Aug. 6, according to the Santa Fe Police Department.

A statewide search was underway for Babitz, who is facing murder, robbery and felon in possession of a firearm charges and was described by police as armed and dangerous. He was arrested Saturday, Aug. 10.

Police Identify Shooter in Best Buy MurderArrest Warrant IssuedSanta Fe, NM – August 8, 2024. The Santa Fe Police...

Posted by Santa Fe Police Department on Thursday, August 8, 2024

In Las Cruces, about 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 10, a man and woman entered Arby’s, located at 2341 East Lohman Ave. They pointed a firearm at an employee and demanded money, according to the Las Cruces Police Department.

After leaving the restaurant, the couple allegedly forced a woman out of her vehicle at gunpoint, then crashed at Missouri Avenue and Triviz Drive.

Both suspects fled, and officers detained Babitz nearby. A woman accomplice has yet to be identified or located, police said.

The woman whose car was stolen near Arby’s was not physically injured.

Babitz, a Glendale, California native, was released from prison in March 2024 and has an extensive criminal history, including robbery, possession of a deadly weapon or explosive by a prisoner, and out-of-state fugitive criminal charges, police said.

Babitz is currently being held at the Dona Ana County Detention Center.

Anyone with information about the woman who was with Babitz is asked to call the Las Cruces Police Department at 575-526-0795.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: New Mexico murder suspect arrested in Las Cruces; accomplice still on run, police say