Bloodshed in the Albuquerque metro area ended this year as it began — with the senseless and seemingly random slayings of two Albuquerque couples.

In between were, for the most part, the usual number of homicides among those whose lives are led further along the societal fringe — the druggies and the down-and-outs, the gang members and the gun-toting renegades with anger-management issues.

But it was the slayings of people whose innocence and age meant little to their killers that made the headlines and stood out among the 54 men, women and children who died violently in the metro area in 2007.

"There will always be those folks who make decisions that place themselves at greater risk for violence," Albuquerque police homicide Sgt. Carlos Argueta said. "But then there are those murders that just make no sense on people leading normal lives."

Among those:

• Nancy Parker Davidson, 56, and Linda Gilkey, 47, known for their compassionate work in the community, both shot in an apparent case of road rage moments into the new year.

• Natalie Mendoza, a 12-year-old girl killed last March as she slept when gang members riddled her house with bullets.

• Norma Gutierrez Moya, 37, raped and shot to death while on her daily walk along a Rio Grande ditchbank in July.

• Susan Schmidt, 51, fatally beaten in September while on the job as a car dealership security guard.

• Pung Yi, 69, and Tak Yi, 79, a retired couple brutally bludgeoned this month by two magazine salesmen, police say.

This year's homicide total as of Friday is one more than in 2006 — one of the lowest homicide levels for the area in the last decade, according to figures compiled annually by The Tribune.

As usual, guns were the weapon of choice, accounting for nearly 55 percent of all homicides.

This year also continued the disturbing trend of young people dying violently. Fifteen of the dead — more than 28 percent of all homicide victims — were 21 and under.

The youngest was 15 months. Authorities say the child was beaten and bruised on nearly every inch on his body.

Conversely, the oldest homicide victim this year was 85. He, too, had also been severely beaten.

Authorities say the majority of homicides occurred over drugs, gangs, relationships, road rage and just plain blind rage. But there were also killings over loud music, tossed golf balls and a $30 debt.

Local statistics also show:

• Forty-one homicide victims were men.

• Of the 13 female victims, three were believed to have been killed by the men they had once loved.

• Five women are accused of committing the homicide; a sixth is a suspect in an additional homicide. Of those, two were girlfriends of the victim and one was the victim's mother.

• Twice as many homicides occurred between people who knew each other than between strangers, in cases where relationship could be determined.

Albuquerque police detectives had their hands full this year, investigating 49 homicides, Argueta said. Last year, they handled 36 cases.

Of this year's cases, 13 remain unsolved, leaving the department with a 73.46 percent clearance rate, the rate at which police close their cases either by arrest, warrant or turning the case over to prosecutors for consideration.

That's slightly lower than has been typical of the Albuquerque Police Department, which for the last decade has posted clearance rates some 20 percentage points higher.

APD's Argueta said part of the problem involves the city's transient nature, an increase in violence across the country and more locals cases in which there were no witnesses or in which the witnesses won't cooperate either because of gang-retaliation fears or gang affiliation.

Bernalillo County sheriff's detectives investigated six homicides this year. Of those, half remain unsolved for a clearance rate of 50 percent.

The national clearance rate is 60.7 percent, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting statistics from 2006.

Rio Rancho posted one homicide, down from two in 2006.

Another homicide occurred just outside Rio Rancho city limits and is being handled by the Sandoval County Sheriff's Department.

• • • • • • • • •

The homicides of 2007

Fifty-four men, women and children were slain in the Albuquerque area this year.

How they died, who is accused of their deaths, the motives and the status of their cases were compiled from criminal complaints, reports and interviews provided by the Albuquerque Police Department, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department, the Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety and the Sandoval County Sheriff's Department.

1., 2. Jan. 1. APD. Nancy Parker Davidson, 56, and Linda Gilkey, 47, were shot inside their sport utility vehicle on Carlisle Boulevard at the I-40 overpass.

Police found Beau James Musacco, 32, by following footprints and blood in the snow.

Motive: Road rage.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

3. Jan. 5. APD. DeWayne Dorris, 42, was shot during an argument at the Warren Coronado Apartments at 6230 Indian School Road N.E.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Open

• • •

4. Jan. 8. APD. Alejandro Santoya-Castillo, 48, was shot in his home at 423 Pine St. S.E.

Police are looking for a white man with a shaggy beard who was driving a Chrysler with a broken window.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

5. Jan. 20. APD. Joe Gilbert Montoya, 59, died in a nursing home but because his death was related to his being shot in a field at 2501 Broadway Blvd. N.E. with another homeless man on July 9, 1989, the case was ruled a homicide.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

6. Jan. 24. APD. Karl Ellis, 40, was shot as he walked from the Albuquerque Rescue Mission, 525 Second St. S.W.

Witnesses say Paul Johnson, 45, and Marie Jackson, 40, were in a passing car with their young son when Johnson called Ellis a "snitch," then shot him.

Motive: Drug-related.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

7. Feb. 19. APD. Vincent Espinosa, 19, was found under a burned couch in a field near 7401 Paseo del Volcan N.W.

His captors shot him, poured gasoline down his throat, over his body and the couch and set them on fire.

Charged are James Urioste, 26, Jose Sullivan, 19, and Elias Urioste, 21.

Motive: Drug-related.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

8. Feb. 26. APD. Marcos Lovings, 21, was stabbed to death at 324 Dallas St. S.E.

Joe Herrera, 21, told police he had pulled a knife in an attempt to get Lovings out of the residence, possibly over Lovings' broken relationship with Herrera's cousin. "Please let him come back alive or let him go to heaven," Herrera was heard to say later.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

9. March 1. APD. Joshua Bean, 18, was one of three people stabbed during a confrontation over loud music at 6500 Montgomery Blvd. N.E. Bean, a former West Mesa High basketball player, died.

Dario Fabian Mirabal, 21, is charged.

Motive: Argument. Status:

Closed by arrest.

• • •

10. March 4. APD. Natalie Mendoza, 12, was killed as she slept in her bedroom when gunfire sprayed her home at 1108 Makian Place N.W.

Motive: Gang-related.

Status: Open

• • •

11. March 8. APD. Dalila Romero-Juarez, 42, was shot after getting in a co-worker's car for a ride home from work at the Taco Bell at 12930 Central Ave. S.E.

Motive: Robbery.

Status: Open

• • •

12. March 11. Sandoval County. Michael Samuel, 19, was found dead outside Rio Rancho city limits.

Motive: Drug-related.

Status:Open

• • •

13. March 14. BCSD. Felipe Lucero, 23, was run over near Rio Bravo and Isleta boulevards Southwest.

A woman in a silver SUV or truck and a man in a black car had been involved in a domestic dispute when Lucero apparently attempted to intervene before the truck ran him over.

Motive: Domestic.

Status: Open

• • •

14. March 21. APD. Johnny Gathright, 60, was stabbed 20 to 30 times in a Hiway House Motel room at 3200 Central Ave. S.E. after Jacob Robert Lynam, 21, and Richard Kress, 19, confronted him over rumors he was holding a woman against her will.

Jazmyn Hodges, 17, faces related charges.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

15. March 27. APD. Alfred Jim, 35, was kicked and stomped and beaten with a rock at 1209 San Mateo Blvd. S.E.

His nephew, Anthony Jim, 19, is charged.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

16. March 28. APD. Kattaria Pacheco, 27, had been missing since February when a construction worker discovered her nude body along I-40 in Tijeras Canyon. Pacheco, an exotic dancer at TD's Show Club, was last believed to be going to a home for a private lap dance after a man approached her on Central Avenue and offered to pay her $500. It was unclear what caused her death.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

17. April 5. APD. Martin Martinez, 53, was beaten to death and his twin brother, Melvin Martinez, was also critically beaten at 233 Dallas St. N.E.

Police say Ray Padilla, 43, beat the brothers over a $30 debt.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

18. April 5. APD. Cyrus Yazzie, 24, was shot twice in the face at 521 Palomas Drive S.E. apparently after a fight over marijuana.

Neighbor David Lopez, 21, is charged.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

19. April 9. BCSD. Floyd Lopez, 26, was shot and killed and found dead in the street near Camino del Valle and Del Rio Road Southwest.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

20. April 12. APD. Michael Tsosie, 27, called 911 to report he had been cut at 3600 Wellesley Drive N.E., but he died of the single laceration to his arm before help arrived.

Kevin Tsosie, 19, is charged.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

21. April 21. BCSD. Ethan Joshua Garcia, 15 months, died, battered on nearly every inch of his little body.

His mother's boyfriend, Christopher Martens, 27, told detectives the child had fallen in the tub at their home at 291 El Pueblo N.W. and was "clumsy." Mother Juliana Garcia, 29, is also charged.

Motive: Child abuse.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

22. April 25. APD. Maurice Johnson, 18, was shot to death outside a church at 537 Mesilla St. S.E. Witness Douglas Simpson Jr. apparently told police the shooter was someone they knew.

Fredrick Justin Williams, 19, was later apprehended in San Diego, but not before Simpson was shot dead as well.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

23. May 2. APD Noriega Condido, 21, was part of an altercation outside 230 Avenida Cesar Chavez S.E. involving occupants of an SUV. The vehicle hit him, snagging him between the front tire and bumper and dragging him for about a block.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Open

• • •

24. May 4. APD. Douglas Simpson Jr., 19, was shot in his pillow-muffled head at 1235 Ortiz Drive S.E. Police are calling Fredrick Justin Williams, 19, a person of interest. Williams and Simpson were with Maurice Johnson when he was shot and killed in April. Simpson was a witness to a previous homicide involving Williams.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

25. May 13. APD. Michael Herrera, 37, was found dead near the railroad tracks at 317 Commercial St. N.E., his head and face severely beaten.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

26. May 17. APD. Robert Blume, 27, was shot in an apartment parking lot at 801 Locust Place N.E. Police say Blume was a major drug dealer and large quantities of marijuana and crack cocaine were found in his apartment.

Motive: Drug-related.

Status: Open

• • •

27. May 20. APD. Vinnette Zudell, 32, was shot three times in the head during an argument over "disrespect" with her brother Vincent Cooper, 33, at 6100 Harper St. N.E.

Motive: Domestic.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

28. June 24. APD. Guadalupe Garcia, 39, was severely beaten with a steel pole at 1129 Goff Blvd. S.W.

Police say Dennis Walter Chavez, 45, might have beaten Garcia because his woman was with Garcia.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

29. July 4. APD. Saul Orozco, 22, was shot after the vehicle he was driving near 114 47th St. S.W. came under fire by occupants in another vehicle.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

30. July 5. APD. Joseph Long, 85, was beaten and kicked at 1600 Speakman S.E. and died four months later.

Annie Beeman, 48, is a suspect but has not been charged.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

31. July 9. APD. William Healey, 35, was shot in an apartment at 3407 Anderson Ave. S.E. In his hand were three baggies of cocaine that were similar to more found in the apartment rented by Christopher Franco, 25.

Motive: Drug-related.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

32. July 10. BCSD. Charles "Bill" Alderson, 52, was strangled during an apparent robbery at his home at 833 Arenal Road S.W.

Deputies say Racquel Celine Gutierrez, 35, her son Malachi Rangel, 17, and associate Peter Paul Paiz, 42, went to the home to steal items for drug money.

Motive: Robbery.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

33. July 16. APD. Diego Delgado, 18, was shot in the head and died after he and six men described by police as mostly gang members drove by the home of Benjamin Montoya, 19, at 1101 Griegos Road N.W. and began hollering at him and his brother.

Montoya says he grabbed an assault rifle and fired at least 15 shots toward the men's car in self-defense.

Motive: Gang-related.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

34. July 27. BCSD. Norma Gutierrez Moya, 37, was sexually assaulted and shot in the head during her daily walk with her dog along the Rio Grande.

Jesse James Ingram, 28, is charged.

Motive: Sexual assault.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

35. July 30. APD. Shelly Pulliam, 44, was shot in the head at 629 Louisiana Blvd. S.E., a pillow placed over her head and a note placed on her chest that read: "She's an alcoholic. She cheated on me. She deserved to die." The note was signed "Phil."

The woman's husband, Phillip Pulliam, 68 and an Eclipse Aviation engineer, turned himself in.

Motive: Domestic.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

36. Aug. 29. APD. Jimmy Howell, 26, was found slumped over his steering wheel in his car in the intersection of 6100 Comanche Road N.E. The former Kirtland Air Force Base airman had been shot several times. The gun was later linked to the home-invasion-style shootings of two people and the suicide of Adam DeLuna during a SWAT standoff.

Motive: Road rage.

Status: Open

• • •

37. Aug. 30. APD. Aaron Ferrell, 17, was shot at Mariposa Basin Park. Police say Ferrell received numerous calls about someone named "Sammy" wanting to fight him over a girl. When Ferrell and his friends showed up, they were met by a group of youths bearing fighting gloves and batons. Ferrell and "Sammy" fought but had called a truce when Ferrell was shot.

Linh Nguyen, 22, and brother Dat Tan Nguyen, 20 are charged.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

38. Sept. 4. APD. Susan Schmidt, 51, was punched and kicked repeatedly when she confronted five youths who were apparently trying to steel rims at a car dealership at 1101 Montaño Road N.E. where Schmidt was a security guard. She died of her injuries a month later.

Charged are Marc David Goodman-Nevarrez, 19, Damian Gallegos, 21, Jeremy Dominguez, 18, Joshua Santistevan, 18, and Gary Dustin DiBenedetti, 19.

Motive: Robbery.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

39. Sept. 19. APD. John Rogers, 35, was shot in the chest at 4532 Carlisle Blvd. N.E. His ex-wife told police he might have been killed over a large amount of money he owed.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

40. Oct. 6. APD. Eduardo Salas, 25, was stabbed at 7501 Blue Avena Ave. S.W. during an argument with Marcus Silva, 33, over Silva's woman friend. Police say Silva then dragged Salas' body into the road and claimed the man had been hit by a car.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

41. Oct. 6. APD. Yoel Betancourt, 30, was stabbed at his home at 425 Wisconsin St. N.E. His girlfriend, Jessica Wright, 28, told police he had tripped over a dog and fell on a knife, then changed her story by saying he had repeatedly stabbed himself.

Motive: Domestic.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

42. Oct. 18. APD. Ryan Vigil, 17, was shot, apparently over pelting people, including accused shooter Raymond Lollis, 22, with golf balls. Vigil, a Highland High School baseball star, and two buddies were in a car tossing the balls when police say Lollis hunted them down to General Arnold Street and Copper Avenue Northeast and fired into the car, killing Vigil.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

43. Nov. 5. APD. Alejandro Garcia-Salas, 3, was shot and his death covered up in his home at 111 Abilene St. S.E.

Police believe his father, Hector Garcia-Salas, 23, was inspecting a gun he was considering buying when he fired it.

Motive: Child abuse.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

44. Nov. 9. APD. Tram Le, 19, was stabbed repeatedly in the torso at an ABQ Uptown Starbucks after she argued with ex-boyfriend Jack Nguyen, 19, and threw iced tea in his face.

Motive: Domestic.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

45. Nov. 16. Rio Rancho. Jeff Packer, 47, was stabbed to death in his home at 3225 23rd Ave. in Rio Rancho. Debbie Gonzales, 49, who used to work for Packer, might have become romantically involved with him and grew jealous when seeing another woman leave his home by a back exit.

Motive: Domestic.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

46. Nov. 26. APD. Rebecca Ortiz, 62, was shot twice as gunshots flew in her kitchen at 721 56th St. N.W. Julian Candelaria, 19, described as a gang member with an extensive criminal history, is charged.

Police say he was an associate of the woman's son and perhaps had intended him as the target.

Motive: Gang-related.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

47. Dec. 4. APD. Albert Meat, 32, was found near I-40 and 12th Street Northwest with his abdomen sliced open. Meat, who was a transient, appeared to have been heavily intoxicated when he died.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

48., 49. Dec. 4. APD. Tak and Pung Yi, 79 and 69, respectively, were found dead of head trauma in their home at 6924 Avenida La Costa N.E. Pung Yi had also been raped.

Magazine salesmen Travis Rowley, 23, and Michael Lee, 29 are charged.

Motive: Robbery. Status:

Closed by arrest.

• • •

50. Dec. 14. BCSD. Llewellyn Flores, 34, was shot in the head off Old Route 66 in Tijeras Canyon.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open

• • •

51. Dec. 16. APD. Maria Villanueva, 46, was shot to death in her trailer at 9100 Volcano Road S.W. Her companion, Rafael Pinela, 50, was also dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The murder-suicide was the end of what had become a turbulent relationship.

Motive: Domestic.

Status: Closed as murder-suicide.

• • •

52. Dec. 21. APD. Treelan Larronde, 29, was seen running north on Fourth Street near Central Avenue Southwest. He had been stabbed but died before he could say who had stabbed him.

Witnesses later said Nethaniel Nuñez, 17, told them: "I did something bad. I stabbed someone last night."

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

53. Dec. 22. APD. Joe J. Candelaria, 68, was found stabbed at his home at 700 Florida St. S.E. after transient Erik Manyk, 29, told police they would find the body there.

Candelaria had given the homeless Manyk a place to stay days before, but Manyk said his benefactor did something to trigger a childhood memory and he snapped.

Motive: Argument.

Status: Closed by arrest.

• • •

54. Dec. 22. APD. John Perez, 16, was killed in a drive-by shooting when he and two friends were cruising near Coors and Arenal boulevards Southwest and bullets flew from a second vehicle.

Motive: Unknown.

Status: Open