ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Isaiah Espinosa, the teenager who fired the deadly shot that killed Jada Gonzales at a house party in December of 2022, will spend 29 years behind bars after accepting a plea deal in Children’s Court Friday morning.
Espinosa is one of five people involved in the shooting that night; he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, conspiracy, and tampering with evidence.
“So, you’re facing up to 48 years in the Department of Corrections. You’re agreeing to do 29 years in the Department of Corrections and then five years will be spent on supervised probation following your release,” said Judge Courtney Weaks of the Second Judicial District Court.
In late December of 2022, Isaiah Espinosa shot into the home where a house party on the west side of Albuquerque after being kicked out.
“Everybody was having a good time until Espinosa and his friends decided to pull out their guns and start posing in photographs,” stated Jolanna Kristyn Macias, prosecuting attorney with the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office.
The state told the court Espinosa was in the car of Jesse Parra with Cruz Medina, Jese Escobedo-Barrios, and Julian Prieb after being thrown out when Parra turned around in the cul-de-sac: “Mr. Espinosa then pulled out an AR-style rifle and started firing into the house. It penetrated three walls and ultimately struck Jada Gonzales in the hip where she ultimately bled out,” Macias said.
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The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office read letters from Jada Gonzales’ friends, family, and educators about how her murder affected them. They told the court how Gonzales had been awarded a full-ride, four-year scholarship she never got a chance to accept, and how she didn’t see her graduation day.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman read a letter from her parents: “Instead of celebrating Christmas, Jasper [Gonzales] and Kateri [Sanchez] buried their only daughter on Christmas Day.”
The letters highlighted her hopes to become a neonatal intensive care physician and how she cared for the community.
“Jada Gonzalez was a bright and shining star, whose light was extinguished far too soon by Isaiah Espinosa,” Bregman read.
Espinosa also addressed the court—saying there is no excuse for his actions, and he recognizes the hurt he caused.
“To the friends, family, and community to which Jada Gonazales belonged to, and is still loved, I offer my sincerest apology to you and pray for forgiveness,” Espinosa said.
Espinosa was taken to the Department of Corrections immediately after the plea hearing, although he is still weeks shy of his 18th birthday. The judge sentenced him to 29 years; he got credit for being behind bars for more than a year. He must serve 85% of the sentence before being eligible for ‘earned meritorious deductions.’ The court also ordered him to pay restitution in the form of $10 every year on both Gonzales’ birthday in November and on the date of the murder in December.
The other defendants involved in the case are still awaiting trial.