Game theft led to murder, sheriff says

ESPAÑOLA, N.M. (KRQE) - The murder of an Alcalde man appears to be payback for the theft of a home gaming system, the Rio Arriba County sheriff said Wednesday.

At an afternoon news conference Sheriff Tommy Rodella said Jeremy Lopez, 17, of Española and Eric Rodriquez, 21, now face murder charges for the death of Marco Bequett.

Detectives believe what evolved into murder started with Bequett stealing a PlayStation video-game console from Rodriguez's home.

Rodella said the two suspects then beat their 20-year-old victim at his home in Alcalde.

They then left, but investigators allege they later returned.  Rodriquez had a gun and shot Bequett multiple times killing him, Rodella said.

The sheriff says the two suspects then dumped Bequett's body off of State Route 399 near Santa Clara Pueblo.

"They tried getting ride of some of the evidence," Rodella said.  "they tried cleaning it up, and some of the evidence we haven't recovered."

The murder weapon has not yet been found, he added.

Lopez was on probation for drug charges and two counts of evading police.

KRQE News 13 has learned Bequett should have been locked up at the time of his death but was apparently released from custody in a mix-up involving paperwork misplaced during a transfer between jails.