ROSWELL, NM - On Wednesday, District Judge Dustin Hunter sentenced Jose Dominguez to 15 years in prison, but suspended six of those years. The lighter sentence was part of a plea deal.
Dominguez pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in the death of Luciano Sifuentes. The two worked together on a Chaves County ranch.
The Mexican national said he shot Sifuentes on March 19, 2018, because he was “disrespecting him.”
The Roswell Daily record reported the following:
"Dominguez said he responded by firing a warning shot and then shooting Sifuentes two times. The victim was later pronounced dead."
The illegal alien threw the murder weapon, a .45 handgun, into a ditch while fleeing the scene in his white Chevy Tahoe. Deputies stopped Dominguez on U.S. Highway 285, and took him into custody without incident, according to court documents.
Before sentencing, Dominguez addressed the court through a translator, claiming that he thought the victim was going to attack him, so he shot him to death.
“He did not understand, I was scared and nervous. I did not mean to do this, I got scared,” Dominguez stated.
Dominguez does have an ICE Hold in place, and is scheduled to be deported back to Mexico immediately upon his release.
