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Son's associate held in Albuquerque mother's death
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When police arrived at the Northwest Albuquerque home, they found a man in his boxer shorts screaming hysterically over the body of his 62-year-old mother, according to court documents.
That was Monday afternoon. Two days later, police had pieced together enough details to arrest a man described as an associate of Rebecca Ortiz's son and a known gang member. Julian Candelaria, 19, is charged with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence.
The exact motive behind the shooting death remains unclear, but police believe it may have been motivated by the association between Candelaria and Ortiz's son, who is not being identified because he is not charged with a crime.
According to a Metro Court criminal complaint, Ortiz's son gave police several accounts of the night his mother was killed, each containing more details. He said he did not initially identify the shooter as Candelaria because he was "scared and distraught."
Eventually, the son said he woke up Monday to his mother screaming. When he looked into the kitchen, he saw the man he later identified as Candelaria shoot his mother, the complaint states.
The son said he then retrieved a broom and chased Candelaria from the 56th Street Northwest home as Candelaria fired several shots at him, the complaint states.
Police found evidence consistent with the son's story, including bullet holes in his bedroom door, according to the complaint.
Ortiz was shot once in the chest and once under the armpit.
The complaint says Candelaria has an extensive criminal record. A search of court records indicates he was charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting or obstructing an officer in June, which was dismissed. Earlier cases likely wouldn't be included in that database because it does not contain juvenile charges.
Candelaria is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in lieu of $500,000 bail.

