Man sentenced in shooting

Manuel Ibarvol told the weeping family of Jorge Alonso Quinonez-Hernandez in Spanish Wednesday, "love your son because you still have him and I don't have mine," then walked out of Ninth Judicial District Judge Teddy Hartley's courtroom.

Quinonez had just been sentenced to 11 years in prison for his part in the April 2011 shooting death of Ibarvol's son-in-law, 25-year-old Jose Alfredo Montoya of Portales.

Quinonez, 23, faced sentencing having already entered into a plea agreement admitting he was the driver for the accused shooter, 17-year-old Erik Pina. Quinonez pleaded guilty to accessory to second degree murder and armed robbery.

Hartley listened to pleas from family members of both the victim and Quinonez before pronouncing the sentence.

"There's nobody who will walk out of here happy today," said Deputy District Attorney Brian Stover.

Stover said Montoya, originally from Mexico, was working at a Roosevelt County dairy on a visa, earning money to support his wife and her child in Mexico.

Stover said Montoya's one indulgence was an Isuzu truck that he put a lot of work into and eventually decided to sell on Craigslist.

Stover said Quinonez drove an armed Pina and 18-year-old Alberto Ramirez to Montoya's home with plans to steal the truck. Both men knew Pina was armed when they dropped him off at Montoya's house and waited in Arch for Pina to bring them the stolen Isuzu pickup.

Stover said after shooting Montoya in the head with a .45 caliber handgun, Pina drove the truck to Arch where the three men stripped it of electronics and other items, then burned what was left.

Ramirez, a juvenile at the time, was convicted as an accessory to armed robbery and is serving time in a state juvenile facility until age 21.

Pina still faces murder charges in a trial schedule to start in February.

"Montoya was this young, hard working man who had everything taken away from him over a car," Stover said.

Montoya was found dead by his father-in-law, who testified before Hartley.

"He was a charming person, he never had a problem with anybody," said 58-year-old Ibarvol to a court interpreter. "Very hard working."

Ibarvol said Montoya had been with his daughter for more than five years and supported her and a child who wasn't his own.

"His life was for them," Ibarvol said. "Just justice, that's all I want. I can't bring back my son."

Iram Ibarvol, Montoya's brother-in-law, also spoke to Hartley about the brother he cared for.

"He was very dedicated to his family and mom because that's all he had," Iram Ibarvol said. "He was a very hard worker and he shared everything. He wasn't a person who had problems with others."

Iram Ibarvol said Montoya had plans to sell his vehicle so he could move back to Mexico to be with his family.

"Even now it's very difficult for us to accept he's dead because we were never able to see his body," he said before walking back to his seat to embrace his father.

Eight members of Quinonez's family sat on one side of the courtroom, sobbing as they waited to speak.

"He's been a good son, he's never caused any problems until now," Quinonez' father Jorge told the judge. "I don't know what happened and that's it, he's a good son."

He left the witness stand in tears and his wife Guadalupe took his place.

"Alonso (Quinonez) is a good person," she said, "he's never caused any problems at all. It's just he trusts everyone. He'll take the shirt off his back to give it to someone else and I think that's why he's in this situation."

Quinonez' uncle and aunt, whom he lived with while attending high school in Texas, also gave passionate pleas as well as family friend Maria Meta. His 19-year-old sister Sandra testified as well.

Quinonez was the last person to address Hartley and Montoya's family.

"I want to say I'm sorry to the gentlemen present if I caused any problems," Quinonez said in Spanish between heavy breaths as he stood from his seat and faced the Ibarvols. "I want to ask for forgiveness. What happened has taught me I can't trust other people."

Before Hartley gave Quinonez his sentence, he said what bothered him was that Quinonez admitted in one of his confessions that he knew Montoya's death was a possibility and still agreed to participate.

"Where was anybody's good sense?" Hartley asked. "(Quinonez) found himself in different circumstances and did not act appropriate and therefore he was a part of the killing of this fine young man."

Hartley said he found Quinonez's family to be good and proud people.

After pronouncing sentence, the judge spoke to the Quinonez family.

"He'll need your love and support from now on," Hartley said before walking out of the courtroom.