Prosecutors allege a series of beatings led to the fatal shooting | Media Pyro

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Steven Candelaria shot in self-defense, fatally shooting an armed man who confronted him outside an Albuquerque apartment in 2020, a defense attorney told jurors Tuesday on the first day of Candelaria’s murder trial.

But prosecutors allege that Candelaria and his brother arrived at Luciano Montoya’s apartment to seek revenge and pistol-whipped a woman before firing more than a dozen shots into Montoya’s home, fatally wounding Montoya.

Candelaria, 31, is charged in 2nd Judicial District Court with first-degree murder and other crimes for the Nov. 17, 2020, shooting death of 39-year-old Montoya.

Candelaria is also charged with assault with a deadly weapon for hitting his girlfriend, Raquel Martinez-Chavez, in the head with a pistol shortly before Montoya’s death.

Candelaria’s attorney, Stephen Lane, told jurors that Montoya fired the first shot. Candelaria and his brother, Brandon Candelaria, fired in self-defense, he said.

“Luciano Montoya charged from his apartment with a gun.” Lane said in opening remarks. “He fired at Steven Candelaria. Steven and Brandon open fire and Luciano is hit and killed.

Brandon Candelaria, 27, faces first-degree murder and other charges in Montoya’s death. His trial has not been scheduled.

Unreliable witnesses, including Martinez-Chavez, told investigators that Montoya was unarmed at the time of the fatal encounter, Lane said. Montoya’s father removed his son’s pistol and hid it before police arrived at the scene, he said.

Witnesses later admitted that Montoya was armed during the confrontation, Lane said. But he said no ballistics tests were conducted to determine whether Montoya’s weapon was fired.

After being shot in the torso, Montoya fled inside his apartment in the 1100 block of Louisiana SE, north of Gibson. Officers

He was found dead in the kitchen.

Martinez-Chavez, the mother of Candelaria’s son, testified Tuesday that Candelaria beat her the day before Montoya was killed. After the beating, Martinez-Chavez showed Montoya her injuries.

She also testified that Martinez-Chavez had two children with Montoya. She wept Tuesday as she described how Montoya administered CPR in the moments before she died.

Assistant District Attorney Natalie Leon told jurors that the assault set off a series of events that led to Montoya’s murder. Martinez-Chavez and Montoya “started planning to have someone beat up Steven (Candelaria) for what he did to Raquel,” Leon said.

Armed men arrived at Candelaria’s apartment and pistol-whipped him, Leon said. In response, Candelaria and her brother drove to Montoya’s apartment the next day, leading to the shooting that killed Montoya, she said. Officers found 18 shell casings outside Montoya’s apartment.

The Candelaria brothers “lit up this apartment,” Leon told jurors.