District Attorney Michael R. Renteria announced that one of the co-defendants charged with the murder of 14-year-old Ashton Remondini of Deming has been sentenced to 28 years in prison. Michael Devon Moody, 18, pled guilty to first degree murder, conspiracy and robbery in Sixth Judicial District Court on December 5, 2023 before Judge Jennifer DeLaney.
According to Court records, the State alleged that on April 26, 2022, Moody, who was 16 at the time, and Rafael Camacho, who was 18, shot and stabbed Remondini in a remote area off Keeler Road, N.W., North of Deming. In a statement to law enforcement, Moody said he and Camacho convinced Remondini to go with them to shoot guns in the desert and that the pair planned to take Remondini’s gun from him and kill him.
According to Moody, he shot Remondini with Remondini’s 9 mm handgun and then stabbed him with a hunting knife while Camacho held an AR-15 rifle. The handgun was later found hidden in Camacho’s house. In the sentencing hearing, the Court heard emotional statements from Remondini’s mother and grandmother who both reflected on the young man taken from them and Moody’s disregard for human life.
According to statements made in court by Deputy District Attorney Arthur Van Haselen III, Moody is considered a serious youthful offender, rather than an adult, because he was a juvenile when the crime was committed. While an adult faces a life sentence for first degree murder, which means eligibility for parole in 30 years, the Court has greater discretion in sentencing serious youthful offenders. The Court adopted the sentencing recommendation of the State and defense, which included another 12 years in prison for the conspiracy and robbery charges, to run concurrently with the 28-year sentence. Although Moody was a juvenile at the time of the crime, he is now an adult and will serve his time in an adult correctional facility.
In announcing the resolution of the case, District Attorney Renteria emphasized the impact the case has had on the victim’s family and friends. “The sentence was a just one under the law, but no matter what happens in a courtroom, victims of tragic crimes like this can never be made whole. My thoughts and prayers are with Ashton’s family.”
Renteria recognized his prosecutors, victim advocates and legal assistants who worked on the prosecution, along with the law enforcement officers who conducted the investigation. “The Luna County Sheriff’s Office and Deming Police Department worked collaboratively on this case and I want to give special thanks to both Investigator Valerie Tyler and Detective James Fetrow for their dedication and hard work,” Renteria said. “Once the investigation was complete, my office began prosecuting the case. The prosecution team, led by Mr. Van Haselen and Deputy District Attorney Edna Reyes, did excellent work, especially considering the current structure of New Mexico’s sentencing laws, and I want to recognize them for that.”
The State’s case against Camacho is still pending in court and is scheduled for trial beginning May 6, 2024.