Vado man sentenced to life for carjacking, kidnapping, murdering man

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A 23-year-old New Mexico man received a life sentence in a federal court in El Paso for murder, carjacking and kidnapping, the U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of Texas said Thursday.

Brayden Matthew Alvarado carjacked a man, drove him from New Mexico into El Paso, and shot him in the head, according to court documents and evidence presented at the trial. It happened in December 2023.

The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated the crime scene and found the boy of Abel Patrick Tarin, who had been reported missing by the Las Cruces Police Department and Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office.

Investigator's found Tarin's vehicle and discovered blood, a gunshot hole and Alvarado's fingerprints, officials said. The evidence led to Alvarado's arrest on Dec. 22, 2023.

A federal jury found him guilty of kidnapping and carjacking resulting in death on Aug. 14, 2025, officials said.

On Dec. 23, 2023, Tarin's community held a vigil at the Sam's Club on N. Telshor Boulevard in Las Cruces, which is where he worked.

The kidnapping conviction carries a mandatory life in prison penatly.