LAS CRUCES – One of southern New Mexico’s most closely watched criminal cases came to a close Tuesday as a Doña Ana County jury convicted the fourth and final defendant charged in the March 2025 mass shooting at Young Park in Las Cruces.
After less than two hours of deliberation, jurors found Gustavo Dominguez guilty of three counts of first-degree murder for his role in the shooting that claimed the lives of 16-year-old Andrew Madrid, 17-year-old Jason Gomez and 18-year-old Dominick Estrada during an unsanctioned car show. More than a dozen others were also wounded.
Dominguez, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was prosecuted as an adult. Prosecutors argued he fired at least eight shots into a crowd after any immediate threat had ended. Investigators presented cellphone video, witness testimony and shell casing evidence during the trial, although the handgun allegedly used by Dominguez was never recovered.
The defense argued Dominguez acted in self-defense and contended prosecutors failed to prove he fired the fatal shots. Under New Mexico law, however, a defendant may be convicted of first-degree murder if prosecutors prove participation in conduct demonstrating a depraved mind and a total disregard for human life.
District Attorney Fernando Macias said prosecutors will seek 90-year prison sentences for each of the four convicted defendants. Dominguez’s attorney said an appeal is expected.
The verdict concludes all four criminal trials stemming from the March 21, 2025 shooting, which left three teenagers dead and more than a dozen others injured, closing a major chapter in one of southern New Mexico’s deadliest mass shootings.
By: John Krehbiel – Bravo Mic Communications, LLC – john@Bravomic.com
