LAS CRUCES, N.M. – A Doña Ana County jury has returned a verdict of guilty on three counts of first-degree murder against 21-year-old Tomas Rivas in connection with the March 21, 2025 shooting at Young Park that claimed the lives of three young men and wounded fourteen others.
Jurors found Rivas guilty under the theory of depraved mind murder. This charge requires a finding that the defendant committed an act greatly dangerous to the lives of others, indicating a total indifference to the value of human life, according to a news release from the Third Judicial District Attorney's office.
The shooting resulted in the deaths of 19-year-old Dominick Estrada, 16-year-old Andrew "AJ" Madrid, and 17-year-old Jason Gomez.
The case was prosecuted by Third Judicial District Attorney Fernando R. Macias and Deputy District Attorney Spencer Willson. District Court Judge Douglas R. Driggers presided over the trial.
District Attorney Fernando Macias said “Today, we affirmed that in Doña Ana County, we do not accept violence as inevitable. We choose to define ourselves not by the tragedy we have endured, but by the safety and peace we are determined to build. We owe it to these young men, and to every child in this community, to ensure that our parks remain places of joy, not sorrow. The prosecution would not have been successful without the tremendous support given by the Las Cruces Police Department Detectives, Patrol Officers and cooperating Law Enforcement Agencies, especially the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Sentencing for Tomas Rivas will be scheduled by the Court later. He faces a mandatory life sentence for each count of First-Degree Murder. Charges remain pending against three other individuals in the Young Park shooting including 18-year-old Nathan Rivas, 18-year-old Gustavo Dominguez, and a 16-year-old boy.