UPDATE: Suspect Arrested In Deadly Anthony, NM Stabbing

29-year-old Manuel “Manny” Ortega is charged with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence, according to Sheriff’s Investigators. They tell ABC-7 that Ortega allegedly stabbed his roommate, 30 year-old Marcos Tucker to death with a knife.

Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office said their first homicide of 2012 occurred early Sunday morning in the 2000 block of Acosta located in Tucker’s Anthony, New Mexico.

According to a press release from the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Department, Marcus Tucker got into an argument with another man before being stabbed.

Family and friends of the victim remained on the scene early this morning. Friends of the victim reported that three young children were inside the home at the time of the incident, and that the oldest girl ushered two children inside a bedroom to avoid the incident.

Two of the children were removed and taken by their grandmother to the Sheriff’s Office while our crew was on scene.

Delfino Cuellar, the godfather of Tucker, said he was shocked by the news. When he pulled up to the scene he was hoping a car struck the home, anything but the news he heard.

“I’m really concerned with what happened,” said Cuellar. “I don’t know if they got the guy.”

Sheriff’s officials say they do have the man accused of stabbing Cuellar in custody. No further details have been made available.

“I don’t see how it happened, or why it had to happen,” said Cuellar.

Ortega has been booked into the Doa Ana County Detention Center.