By Roger Lanse

Saturday, Apr. 20, 2019, marks the seventh anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Roberto Armando Benavides Garcia. Roberto was brutally beaten to death by an assailant(s) and left lying in the middle of the street in the 300 block of Hurley’s Aztec Avenue. The case remains unsolved.

Roberto was a Western New Mexico University student, an aspiring artist, and a joy to his mother, Kathy Benavides, and father, Peter Garcia.

Grant County Sheriff Frank Gomez said they have not assigned a detective to the case as the GCSO is “running 10 deputies short” and the few detectives on hand have to fill in to patrol the streets. However, Gomez stressed they do have leads on which to follow-up and the case remains active.

Gomez told the Beat it’s possible that the person(s) responsible for the homicide may already be in jail for an unrelated offense, and, if so, witnesses would not need to feel intimidated and could come forward with information.

Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to call the GCSO at 574-0100, Central Dispatch at 388-8840, or Grant County Crime Stoppers at 538-5254.