Juarez man convicted of murder to serve additional sentence for illegal re-entry into U.S.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KVIA) -- A Juarez man convicted of murder by a New Mexico state court in 2021 has been given an additional 20 years in prison for illegal re-entry into the United States.
Government sources claim Luis Antonio Talamantes-Romero, 36, reentered the country many times. He was already sentenced for the murder by a New Mexico state court -- when the federal court handed down the additional prison time.
The additional time was ordered for multiple cases of reentry to the United States.
DOJ sources say that his 20-year federal prison sentence will run consecutively with time he serves in New Mexico, and there is no option of parole in the federal system.
Background
Talamantes-Romero was charged with murder in June 2021 by a New Mexican court.
An accomplice testified that he and Talamantes-Romero were breaking into cars in Albuquerque. On the night of Nov. 19, 2019, the pair saw a woman warming up her vehicle in a driveway.
Talamantes-Romero said he wanted to rob 55-year-old Jacqueline Vigil and later shot her in the head when she honked her car horn, according to Department of Justice sources. The next day Talamantes-Romero traveled to San Antonio, where he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
He was identified as a Mexican national from Juarez by officials with the DOJ.
A New Mexican jury found Talamantes-Romero guilty of murder and other charges, where he was sentenced to life in prison.
Court documents say ICE agents learned that Talamantes-Romero had illegally re-entered the U.S. after being deported multiple times. The new charges focused on reentry will add a total of 20 years.
In a statement, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Jaime Esparza said that the maximum sentence "will prevent him from further violating our immigration laws and protects the public from his violent acts, which sadly included the senseless murder of an innocent woman."
“This reflects ERO’s ongoing efforts to increase public safety by removing criminals from our communities,” said Director Corey Price for the ERO San Antonio Field Office. “We will continue to identify, arrest and remove noncitizens who pose a threat to our nation.”
