By Roger Lanse

Steven Morales, 36, of Silver City was bound over to district court on first-degree murder and tampering with evidence charges in a preliminary hearing in Judge J.C. Robinson's Sixth Judicial District Court on Thursday, Feb. 5, regarding the Jan. 14, homicide of Esteban Ortega, 22. Esteban's body was found inside a vehicle on Radio Tower Road off of Highway 15 near Pinos Altos. Esteban was shot twice with a .45 caliber handgun.

Witnesses, who were with Morales before, during and after the shooting testified at the hearing, as well as three Grant County Sheriff's Department detectives and a U.S Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent.

According to witnesses, Ortega was driving and Morales was a passenger in Ortega's blue Mazda, along with a female passenger in the back seat, headed toward Pinos Altos. Testimony further revealed that they pulled over to "smoke a bowl" of meth prior to the female passenger getting a tattoo from Morales. At that point, Morales and Ortega began to argue, and Morales ordered the female to tie Ortega up, which she did. Her testimony was that while she was outside the car, she heard two shots from inside the car.

Chief Assistant District Attorney George Zsoka asked Robinson to bind Morales over on the two charges, while defense attorneys Jeffrey Buckels and Stephen Taylor, of Albuquerque, requested he not be bound over on the first-degree murder charge. Following the preliminary hearing, Morales was transported back to the Santa Fe Detention Center, where he is being incarcerated.