Las Cruces man found guilty of murder

Prosecutors said it was a failed attempt at revenge.

On Thursday, a Las Cruces man took responsibility for the murder of a Vietnam veteran.

Aaron Valdivia, 24, stood in front of a judge and pleaded no contest to the charges against him, all because he tried to avenge the murder of a friend and ended up helping others he was with kill the wrong man.

“A group of four young men conspired to do a drive by shooting of a home they believed was associated with the person that was responsible for the golf club death of Jerry Zamarripa,” said chief deputy district attorney Scot Key.

Zamarripa, 18, was a football player at Oate High School. In February 2011, he was beaten to death with a golf club.

According to the criminal complaint, Valdivia was the one who told the others where he thought the murderer lived.

“This defendant pointed out several residences in which he believed the person that was responsible for Jerry’s death lived at. They drove past this area three times at the trailer park on Watson lane,” Key said.

Meanwhile, Julian Pea, 57, was sitting in his living room just watching television. Prosecutors said Valdivia waited in the car while two others, Myles V. Calderon, 19, and Johnny Ray Vallejos, 16, got out. Vallejos shot several rounds at the trailer home with a rifle, prosecutors said. Pea was shot in the head by one of the bullets. Prosecutors said his wife had been cooking dinner and found him slumped over in his chair.

“Mr. Julian Pea had nothing to do with this situation, nothing to do with the killing of Jerry Zamarripa,” Key said.

More than a year later, Pea’s family is left without a husband, a father, a grandfather. He was also a Vietnam veteran.

Valdivia pleaded no contest and accepted a plea deal for a shorter prison sentence. In exchange, he will testify against the others allegedly involved.

Key told ABC-7 it’s all part of making sure justice is served.

“Valdivia remained in the car yet he was active in conspiracy. A guaranteed 22 years in prison with cooperation testifying against any and all co-defendants goes toward the big picture here. We want to make sure all the co-defendants are held responsible,” Key said.

Valdivia pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, conspiracy to shoot at or from a motor vehicle and tampering with evidence.

Without the plea deal, he would have faced a maximum of 30 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.

The three others allegedly involved are still waiting for trial.