13-02-2025
ABQ man sentenced to 20 years in 2023 movie theater killing
Feb. 12—A judge handed down a 20-year prison sentence Wednesday for a man who opened fire during a dispute over seating in a crowded Albuquerque movie theater in 2023, resulting in a man's death.
Enrique Padilla, 21, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and two counts of tampering with evidence on Nov. 12, halting his trial on a charge of first-degree murder.
The shooting at the Century Rio 24 movie theater near Jefferson and Interstate 25 killed 52-year-old Michael Tenorio as the two men struggled over a firearm Padilla carried into the theater on June 29, 2023.
The volley of gunfire set off a panic in the sold-out theater as moviegoers dodged for cover and ran out of the building into the parking lot.
Second Judicial District Judge Joseph Montano sentenced Padilla to the maximum prison term allowed under the plea agreement.
Tenorio and his wife arrived at the theater and purchased tickets for an 8:50 p.m. showing of the romantic comedy "No Hard Feelings."
The couple purchased seats 8 and 11 in Row F, which had them seated apart. A theater employee advised them to sit together and ask the two people in seats 9 and 10 to move down a seat so the Tenorios could sit together, according to a criminal complaint.
When Padilla and his date arrived, the two couples began arguing over seats.
Padilla's attorney, Nicole Moss, argued in court records that Padilla had been seriously injured by multiple gunshots in January 2023, just five months earlier, and felt threatened by the larger Tenorio.
"Enrique (Padilla) was still recovering from the January shooting, had limited mobility in his left arm and was still very weak from his extensive injuries," Moss wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
A theater employee reviewed their tickets and ultimately seated the two couples next to each other.
Padilla felt uncomfortable sitting next to the Tenorios and decided to leave, the sentencing memorandum said. As they were leaving, Padilla heard the Tenorios laughing and turned and tossed popcorn toward the couple.
Witnesses told police that Tenorio said, "What the hell?" and pushed Padilla into a wall when shots rang out.
Three gunshots fatally struck Tenorio in the chest, abdomen and leg, and he died at the scene. Another gunshot struck Padilla in the abdomen. He collapsed outside the theater and was transported to a hospital.
"While he did make a foolish decision to toss popcorn at the Tenorios as he walked away, he never expected to be violently attacked as a result," Moss wrote in court records.
