Man Sentenced to Life for Officer's Murder

Carlos Gonzales was sentenced to an additional seven months in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of his girlfriend, Areli Rodriguez, whom he shot during an argument in 2022. Gonzales had already spent a year and a half in jail before this sentencing. In a separate case, Dominic De La O was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of Alamogordo Police Officer Anthony Ferguson during a traffic stop in July 2023. De La O's sentence also includes an additional six and a half years for related convictions, including tampering with evidence and aggravated fleeing from law enforcement. The court heard emotional testimonies from Ferguson's family during the sentencing, and a jail call was presented where De La O appeared to boast about the murder. The sentencing of both men highlights ongoing concerns regarding violent crime and accountability in New Mexico.