Santiago Rascon Las Cruces New Mexico man kills neighbor in revenge murder of who he believes killed his son. Victim identified as Edgar Segovia.
A New Mexico man has reportedly confessed to shooting and killing a teen who he claims was involved in his son’s murder months earlier.
Santiago Rascon, 71, allegedly shot Edgar Segovia, 19, as the teen sat inside his truck. Segovia –who was previously the man’s son’s neighbor — was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene after officers found him in front of the vehicle with at least one gunshot wound.
Before the shooting, Rascon went to a residence in Las Cruces to check on his grandchildren and their mother but they were asleep. He claimed he was leaving when he observed a neighbor write down his license plate — angering him and sparking him to seek revenge for his son, Emilio’s death, KTSM reported.
Rascon allegedly went home and retrieved a .357 magnum handgun before returning to the residence and shooting Segovia. After the slaying, Rascon drove to his daughter and ex-wife’s home and threw away the ammunition in a trash can, according to KTSM.
Rascon’s daughter reportedly called 911 after he arrived at her home and revealed he had killed someone.
Taking the law into one’s own hands
Rascon accused his neighbors of being responsible for his son’s July 4 death. He reportedly claimed that prior to his son’s death, neighbors called animal welfare on his son, and also called the police and welfare checks for him according to KTSM.
It is not immediately clear how Rascon’s son died, or if Segovia was involved in his death.
In an email to the Las Cruces Sun News, New Mexico State University Professor Marcel Montanez, an assistant professor in the Family & Consumer Sciences Department, said Segovia was one of his students.
‘He was a big, kind, empathetic healer. He demonstrated an amazing potential for working with children and adults with disabilities,’ Montanez told the publication.
Segovia graduated with a master’s in family and consumer sciences in May 2020. He was was on his way to becoming a marriage and family therapist, his professor said, and was dedicated to working with the most vulnerable people in New Mexico.
Rascon is charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He remains jailed without bond.