Carlos Herrera and the Good Friday Pilgrimage Slaying

What made Carlos Herrera murder two innocent teenagers on a Good Friday pilgrimage? No one knows – not even Carlos himself. I happen to know one of Herrera’s cousins and she said he told family later on, “I don’t know why I did it.” Eventually he died in jail and the truth of his motive in this senseless crime shall never be known.

The families of Karen Castanon and Ricky Martinez sure would like to know. They have had to find closure in Herrera’s 2012 death without any answers in why they had to lose their loved ones that fateful April day.

The Pilgrimage Murders

Ricky Martinez and Karen Castanon were only 17. They were dating at the time of the murders. Martinez was a good student and an athlete who often played Jesus in a passion play at his church. Karen Castanon was also active in her church and was a cheerleader until a back injury forced her to quit. She spent her time after school working at Baskin Robbins with her best friend, Adrian Valdez. Both were known as sweet kids, and Castanon was known for speaking her mind. Castanon and Martinez were attached at the hip.

A photo of Karen Castanon and Ricky Martinez, high school sweethearts

That Good Friday, they decided to take part in the annual pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chimayo, an old adobe church believed to contain sacred healing dirt. They departed Arroyo Seco on the 53-mile trek at 4:00 am on April 21, 2000. Castanon wanted to leave that early so they could return home in time for school. Thousands of people take part in this pilgrimage each year, carrying crosses or lilies over miles to the church. The pilgrimage has occurred without incident…until that day.

El Santuario de Chimayo, from santafe.com

Four miles out of Espanola, on the side of NM Highway 76, Ricky Martinez was found dead as day broke over the land. He had been shot in the shoulder and had bled to death. A passerby who found him tried to revive him with CPR, but unfortunately, it was too late.

It took a few hours to locate Castanon’s body, which was about 3 miles away from her boyfriend’s in a more remote area. She had been shot in the back. I have not found any mention that she was sexually assaulted.

Sheriffs were puzzled, as no one had ever attacked pilgrims on this sacred journey before. They diverted pilgrims through a field and diverted traffic on the highway as they roped off the area with yellow crime scene tape. Initially they had no suspects.

Then police appealed the public for help. Tips came in and the police pieced together the story. The most damning evidence came from a friend of Carlos Herrera’s. He said that Herrera’s truck had gotten stuck near Castanon’s body. Herrera called on the friend to help him get it out. He then gave the friend his .22 rifle, asking him to keep it safe, which the friend did. This rifle was found to be the murder weapon.

At the time, Herrera was only 19. He was the stepson of an Espanola police lieutenant. Police believed he was an acquaintance of the two victims.

Herrera broke down and confessed to the crimes, while saying that he did not know the teenagers and did not know why he killed them. He entered a guilty plea to get charges of tampering with evidence and kidnapping dropped.

Herrera was convicted of the two murders and received two life sentences (60 years in NM). He was not eligible for parole until the age of 60, meaning he would spend nearly his whole adult life in prison. But while housed in Los Lunas, he fell ill and went to the hospital several times. He eventually died of cancer in 2012.

The families of the victims were shattered, as were the victims’ Los Alamos High classmates. Nobody understood why these two good, church-going, athletic teens were targeted. The connection between Herrera and the victims is still unknown, and Herrera’s motive is equally murky. The families say they found vindication in his death because they know he met the True Judge.

What is especially sad is that Martinez was about to pick up his suit for prom and spend a weekend on the lake with his sister and her boyfriend. Castanon also had lots to look forward to. They were popular, well-loved, and bright, with their whole lives ahead of them. Maybe Herrera saw how they shined and decided to jealously squash out their brightness. I don’t see why else he would do this.

Now, hundreds of people remember the slain teens as they make the five-hour pilgrimage to El Sanctuario de Chimayo. That is lovely, but it does not bring these two kids back. I’m not sure why random acts of evil occur but it makes me fear for the lives of my children. My heart goes out to their families. My heart also goes out to Carlos Herrera’s family, as they have had to grapple with losing a loved one as well in a different way.

Note: I want to mention that I did not even realize that I was writing this on the 24th anniversary of the murders! What a creepy coincidence….