ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A University of New Mexico student who lived in the dorm where a 14-year-old was shot and killed in 2025 has admitted to trying to cover up the deadly shooting.
Daniel Archuleta pleaded guilty in court to tampering with evidence, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and drug possession, and agreed to testify against the other defendants in the case.
Suspicious death being investigated by Albuquerque police
Archuleta was 19 years old when the shooting took place on UNM’s campus in Albuquerque last summer. It was inside Archuleta’s dorm room on July 25, where prosecutors say 18-year-old John Fuentes shot and killed 14-year-old Michael LaMotte.
Investigators believe Archuleta and a fourth person in the room, the boy’s brother, 19-year-old Zion Miera, fled out a window, then returned later to remove evidence. Before the shooting, investigators said the group was taking drugs and passing around guns…