Portales man sentenced to four more years

PORTALES — A Portales man convicted of second-degree murder on Sept. 27 has been sentenced to an additional four years in prison.

Gerardo Marquez, 36, was sentenced last month to 16 years in prison for the 2018 slaying of Erika Zamorano.

On Monday, District Judge Donna Mowrer heard evidence alleging Marquez is a habitual offender, after which she added four years — for a total of 20 — to his sentence.

According to a news release from District Attorney Andrea Reeb, Zamorano, 32, was found dead April 19, 2018, inside her Portales residence. Officials said she was shot to death.

The release said the crime is classified as “a serious violent offense,” which means Marquez will have to serve 85% of his sentence before being considered for parole.

Defense attorney Dan Lindsey has said he will appeal the conviction, primarily based on eyewitness testimony. Lindsey said a witness was on drugs and had gone two days without sleep at the time of the incident.