3 days ago
2 Albuquerque teens accused of killing homeless man face murder charges
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Yet two more teens in Albuquerque face murder charges after police said they shot and killed a homeless man last month. This wasn't the teens' first run-in with the law, one was already on probation for taking a gun to school. The district attorney said this is more evidence that the juvenile justice system isn't working.
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'We have two teenagers accused of killing a homeless person. The frustration level, quite frankly, is at a boiling point. This will be, I believe, the 47th juvenile that we've charged with murder in this office since I've been district attorney,' said Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman.
On May 1, Albuquerque police were called to an apartment complex at Carlisle near Montgomery for a homicide. When they arrived that morning, they found 23-year-old Christopher Sturluson dead inside the tent he was living in behind the building.
According to a police report, the Albuquerque Police Department arrived the night before due to reports of shots being fired nearby, which were picked up by ShotSpotter. Police interviewed Sturluson at that time. He said there were three males shooting in his direction, and he told them to stop.
The next day, Albuquerque Community Safety found Sturluson dead inside the tent with a gunshot wound. Investigators believe 17-year-old Adrian Brown and 18-year-old Joshua Curtis shot and killed Sturluson. Police said the two teens can be seen in surveillance footage from that night walking near the tent moments before shots were fired. Investigators linked casings from the scene to a gun they believe was used in the crime.
The DA said Brown has a criminal history involving firearms and was already on juvenile probation at the time of the murder for taking a gun to Sandia High School in 2022. Bregman reiterated his calls in recent months to overhaul the juvenile justice system and said minors need more consequences. 'If we don't start doing something, we will continue to see this kind of result. We're not teaching our kids anything when we're not giving them consequences,' said Bregman.
The District Attorney's office said they plan on charging Adrian Brown as an adult for murder. Joshua Curtis is also facing murder and other charges. His criminal history includes a pending battery upon a peace officer case.
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