Isaiah Rea sentenced to 20 years in prison for 2024 murder
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Isaiah Joseph Rea was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 2024 murder of Steven Sanchez.
The Doña Ana County District Attorney's Office announced the results of the sentencing today. Rea had been convicted on May 21, 2025. The jury also found Rea guilty of a firearm enhancement. That led to Judge Douglas R. Driggers handing down the maximum 20-year prison sentence, a spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office explained.
ABC-7 reported on the murder when it happened in April 2024. Officers found Sanchez suffering from a gunshot wound to the head in a shed behind a house on Princess Jeanne Drive in Las Cruces.
"Witnesses told investigators that Rea was at the residence with Sanchez and an unidentified man," prosecutors explained. "Sanchez reportedly stepped outside with the two men before a gunshot was heard. According to court documents, Rea later told others he believed the unidentified man wanted him to kill Sanchez, saying something to the effect of, 'I thought he wanted me to do it.'"
