If you need a roommate, you try your best to find someone sane that you can bare living with. Sometimes it doesn’t work out like that, though. Roommate situations are seldom easy or ideal, but in these cases, they wound up being deadly. Here are some of New Mexico’s worst roommate stories.
Robert James Lustig
In April 2005, a young man was found decomposing in a fridge in an abandoned house south of Deming, NM. He had been shot in the head. The owners of the property smelled something foul and thus found his corpse. The medical examiner believed that the victim had been deceased about two to three months. It took a little while for authorities to figure out that he was Robert James Lustig, a young man who had been missing from Deming, NM, for about a year.
Lustig had been a volunteer firefighter as well as a police officer in Columbus, near the Mexican border. He was generally known to be a good person. Lustig’s landlord had initially reported him missing after going by his house to find out why Lustig was behind on rent. Lustig was not only missing, but so were his CDs, DVDs, and computer. The police found out those items had been pawned at a local pawn shop by Mark Varkevisser, a former roommate of Lustig’s.
Mark Varkevisser hence became their number one suspect, but they could not locate him for questioning. Instead, they found Lustig’s other former roommate, Joshua Barr, and questioned him. Barr acted nervous, sweated profusely, and refused to give solid dates to create a timeline of events in Lustig’s final days.
A subsequent interrogation resulted in Barr confessing that he had murdered Robert Lustig. Lustig was evidently playing computer games with Barr and Varkevisser, when Barr shot him in the back of the head. The victim was still alive, so Barr shot him in the front of the head “to put him out of his misery”. Barr and Varkevisser had lived with Lustig in the past, but Lustig had thrown them out. Barr and Varkevisser then had rented a different home together. For some reason, they continued to be friends with Lustig, yet murdered and robbed him in cold blood.
Barr said he wrapped up Lustig’s body in garbage bags and stuffed him in the fridge in the abandoned house, knowing he wouldn’t be found for a long time. The conditions managed to preserve his body enough to lead investigators to believe he had only been dead for 2-3 months, not a whole year.
Police soon located Mark Varkevisser and he corroborated Joshua Barr’s statements. He claimed that Barr shot Lustig for no apparent reason while they were all peacefully playing computer games at Lustig’s home. He claimed that he was so scared of Barr, he never came forward. He also claimed that Barr was a bad drinker and had a scary temper.
Barr was ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. For that, he was given life plus 3 years. But he moved for a mistrial, claiming his confession was coerced. He said that he only had an eighth grade education and the cops used that to their advantage, and also that the cops threatened him with the death sentence. The truth was that the cops asked Barr during his interrogation, “What do you think the killer deserves?” Barr replied, “The death sentence.” The cops then agreed with him but did not threaten him with the death sentence. The death sentence has been abolished in New Mexico and only one person has been executed since 1976 in New Mexico – Terry Clark in 2001. Barr’s motion was denied and as a result he went to prison.
Meanwhile, Varkevisser was charged with tampering with evidence, but the charge was dismissed. I feel that Varkevisser played a bigger role in this murder than he claims. He was the one who profited from the crime by pawning Lustig’s stuff. I wonder if robbery was the motive and the two men were co-conspirators.
Joshua Barr eventually committed suicide in his prison cell. His body was found in his cell on August 3, 2015.
https://law.justia.com/cases/new-mexico/supreme-court/2009/2a67.html
Rachel Torrisi Sierra
In December 2008, Rachel Torrisi Sierra was found lying at the base of an oak tree off New Mexico 78. She was found wearing latex gloves and appeared to have severe head trauma – later found to be a rifle blast to the back of her head. Initially, her death was thought to be connected to Joey Moreno’s, since they were both found in the same general area. But it was soon found that Rachel had actually been murdered by her roommate, Allen Hurley.
Right off the bat, cops suspected Allen and Bernadette Hurley. The couple hailed from Las Cruces but lived with Rachel Sierra in Silver City. The couple lied to cops at first, claiming they were in Las Cruces the night Rachel died. But cell phone data revealed they were in the Silver City area around the time Rachel was believed to have been killed.
Allen Hurley then amended his story and said that Rachel had claimed some guys were after her, so she wanted him to take her to Mule Creek. He took her and a woman named Reina out to Mule Creek, where Reina then shot Rachel with a rifle.
Then he admitted Reina didn’t exist. He said that Rachel was paranoid and wanted to go out to Mule Creek, so he took her. She got out of the car and asked him to get a rifle that she had left in her backseat. He grabbed the rifle, then stumbled and accidentally shot Rachel in the chest. The detective interviewing Hurley informed him that Sierra had been shot in the head, not the chest. That’s when Hurley changed his story yet again and claimed that Sierra tried to shoot him with the rifle, so he wrestled it from her and shot her in self-defense. This makes no sense, given her skull showed evidence she had been shot from behind.
Hurley then stated he drove out to Pinos Altos, a tiny town near Silver City, to burn his clothes. Then he picked up his wife and they hid the rifle in a culvert between Silver City and Deming on their journey to Las Cruces. The rifle has never been found, but is suspected to be the .270 that investigators found unfired shells for in Sierra’s home.
Allen Hurley struggles with mental retardation. But his actions smack of forethought and he lied to cops, indicating he knew he did something wrong. Ultimately, he was found competent to stand trial. In March 2011, he stood trial.
Rachel Sierra was from Clifton, but lived in Silver City when she died. She carried the Silver City Daily Paper and worked at a Sonic and the Silver City Food Basket. She was only 34 when she was murdered. I’m still not sure why she was murdered, but it wasn’t right. She has many people who love and miss her dearly, including her father, stepmother, and brother.
https://www.scdailypress.com/2012/12/04/family-marks-anniversary-of-death-of-rachel-sierra/
Jarrod Jackson and Nicole Sanchez
Jarrod Jackson and Nicole Sanchez lived with Samuel Archuleta in Albuquerque. They were shot dead on April 30, 2022.
In early May, Archuleta called his dad and confessed to them that he had shot his roommates. He told his dad he was sorry and he just had enough and snapped, shooting Nicole and Jarrod in the face. His dad said that Archuleta often quarreled with his roommates for breaking into his room and abusing his dog. He also said that Archuleta had an alcohol problem and might hurt himself.
After the call, Samuel Archuleta fled to Durango, CO. Albuquerque Police coordinated with Durango PD to catch Archuleta. When they learned he was in Walmart in Durango, they flattened his tires, then stood near the doors in wait. He emerged after 23 minutes and they ordered him to the ground and he complied. They then handcuffed him without incident.
Archuleta was only 21. Nicole and Jarrod were both 25. It is unclear how the three knew each other. It is also unclear if they actually were guilty of abusing Archuleta’s dog. But they do appear to have many friends and family members who miss them dearly. Archuleta is still awaiting trial.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/memorial-service-and-burial-nicoleandjason
Spencer Komadina
Spencer Komadina was the son of Steve Komadina, a former New Mexico senator of eight years. He lived in the peaceful village of Corrales, outside of Albuquerque, a place where crime is nearly nonexistent. He was 46 and he had a roommate, 61-year-old Joel Ray.
On the evening of October 30, his neighbor Lynn Saunders was feeding her horses when she heard 3 gunshots ring out from his home. Concerned, she called his sister. Just then, cops started arriving. Joel Ray was arrested for murder.
The two men had apparently gotten into an altercation. This resulted in Ray shooting Komadina. He told police he was just having a bad day. Sadly, he left 3 children without their dad because of how he chose to respond to that bad day.
https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/argument-between-roommates-leads-to-murder-charge/
https://www.frontpagedetectives.com/p/new-mexico-shot-roommate-murder-charge
Chadrick James
Chadrick James was living with his roommate, Chavis Lewis Thomas, in a place in Roswell. The two got into an argument on October 2, 2021, which then escalated when they stepped outside their residence. Thomas shot James in the stomach and left him for dead. Police soon arrived on the scene and caught Thomas in an alleyway, still holding the gun used to kill James, and with an ounce of cocaine in his pocket.
James was transported to the hospital where he soon died. Thomas was charged with murder, tampering with evidence, and possession of a controlled substance. He ended up pleading guilty to second-degree murder and going away for 15 years. He also got 9 years for possession of a deadly weapon, but the judge ruled this can be served concurrently with his 15-year murder charge.
Guns and drugs do not mix, kids!
https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/roswell-man-sentenced-to-15-years-in-prison-for-murdering-roommate/
https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/roswell-man-arrested-in-connection-to-roommates-fatal-shooting/
Zachariah Fry and Eugene Carrell Ray
When a rancher discovered the body of Zachariah Fry in a trashcan on his property near Santa Fe, he thought Fry was a woman because of her long hair. In truth, she was a 28-year-old trans woman, missing from Albuquerque. Soon, the body of her 70-year-old roommate, Eugene Ray, a retired notorious Albuquerque attorney, was found in a dumpster about 3 miles away. The two were determined to have been killed at the former attorney’s home in Albuquerque.
The killer was found to be a third roommate living at the home, James Knight, AKA Charles Speiss. The double homicide is thought to be related to drugs and homophobia. Ray was known to be a closeted gay man who let people stay in his home in exchange for sexual favors. It is believed that Fry was renting a room from Ray in exchange for sex. Knight was also living in the home, though for how long and under what circumstances is unclear.
You can read more of this twisted and sordid story here.
Alexander Renner
On September 2022, Alexander Renner was discovered by police, badly decomposed and wrapped up in a rug in the garage of the Albuquerque home. He had shared that home with his wife and his 52-year-old roommate, David Knotts. Renner was only 37 when he died. He had been reported missing in June 2022, and had last been seen entering the home on May 4, 2022.
Police investigated the home near Tramway and Montgomery on September 22, after a Crimstoppers anonymous tip alerted them to the presence of the corpse. Neighbors apparently had smelled something foul emanating from the home. They initially assumed it was rotting garbage, but they became suspicious when the smell became stronger and was clearly the odor of death.
David Knotts was soon arrested for the crime on December 9, 2022. He had apparently started sleeping with Renner’s wife. Renner confronted him at the house on May 4, 2022, where they got into an altercation and Knotts shot Renner. He then rolled Renner up in some carpet and left him in the garage for the hot summer months. I don’t know how he managed to live with the smell.
Knotts was charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Knotts pled not guilty. There have been no subsequent updates and Knotts is awaiting trial. There is no word about Renner’s wife.
https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/albuquerque-man-accused-of-killing-his-roommate/
https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/albuquerque-man-accused-of-killing-his-roommate-pleads-not-guilty/
https://www.abqraw.com/post/man-arrested-for-hiding-a-decomposing-body-in-a-garage-for-months