Las Cruces man charged after alleged use of Molotov cocktails to start apartment fires

UPDATE (February 6, 2026) -- Sepulveda made an appearance in federal court after he allegedly used Molotov cocktails to start multiple fires at the Villa Del Telshor Apartments.

U.S. prosecutors say investigators determined the fire originated on the second floor. Prosecutors add that surveillance footage from a neighbor captured Sepulveda carrying two bottles upstairs moments before a flash is seen. Officials say the footage shows Sepulveda holding one lit Molotov cocktail. He's then reportedly seen starting a second fire on the first floor, which he extinguished.

Prosecutors say ATF agents verified Sepulveda is not registered to posses or manufacture a destructive device. Agents later did a search warrant at his apartment and found shoes with burn marks. Prosecutors say the shoes match the one seen in the surveillance footage. Multiple lighters and Miller High Life bottle caps consistent with the Molotov cocktails were also found, according to prosecutors.

Sepulveda is charged with possession of a firearm, specifically a destructive device. He will remain in jail pending his trial. A trial date has not yet been set. If convicted, he faces up to ten years in prison.

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- ATF has arrested Richard Sepulveda, 47, and charged him after the fire that happened on the 1900 block of South Telshor Boulevard on January 12, 2026.

Sepulveda is charged with possession of an unregistered firearm (Molotov Cocktail).

Investigators say that the fire was intentionally set. No one was reported injured. The fire is estimated to have caused $5,000 in damages to the two-story apartment.