Jury convicts Las Cruces man of first-degree murder in Young Park triple homicide
A Doña Ana County jury has convicted Tomas Rivas of three counts of first-degree murder in the March 2025 Young Park mass shooting that killed three teens and wounded 14 others.
Tomas Rivas found guilty on three counts of depraved mind murder in March 2025 shooting that killed three teens and injured 14 others
Organ Mountain News report
LAS CRUCES - A Doña Ana County jury on Monday convicted a Las Cruces man of three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the March 2025 mass shooting at Young Park that left three teens dead and 14 others wounded.
Jurors on Monday found Tomas Rivas, 21, guilty under a theory of depraved mind murder for the March 21, 2025, shooting. The verdict followed a weeklong trial before District Court Judge Douglas R. Driggers.
Depraved mind murder requires a finding that a defendant committed an act greatly dangerous to others and showed a total indifference to human life.
The shooting killed Dominick Estrada, 19, Andrew “AJ” Madrid, 16, and Jason Gomez, 17. Fourteen others were injured.
The Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. District Attorney Fernando Macias and Deputy District Attorney Spencer Wilson led the prosecution.
“Today, we affirmed that, in Doña Ana County, we do not accept violence as inevitable,” Macias said in a statement. “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.”
Wilson said the verdict followed the jury’s review of evidence presented during trial.
“This verdict sends an unequivocal message that lawlessness and violence will not be tolerated in Doña Ana County,” Wilson said in a statement. “This was not self-defense; it was a criminal act with catastrophic consequences.”
The district attorney’s office credited Las Cruces police, patrol officers and other cooperating agencies, including the FBI, with supporting the prosecution.
Charges remain pending against three other defendants in connection with the shooting: Nathan Rivas, 18; Gustavo Dominguez, 18; and Josiah Ontiveros, 16. Each is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Sentencing for Rivas will be scheduled at a later date. He faces a mandatory life sentence for each count of first-degree murder.
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