Robert Macias, sentenced to life in prison
CLOVIS, N.M. -- A Clovis man has been sentenced to life in prison in the shooting death of another man in eastern New Mexico, back in January of 2006.
Robert Macias, 35, was sentenced Wednesday, in the 2006 death of Wilfred Salas Jr., 19.
Macias was found guilty back in January of first-degree murder and shooting at a motor vehicle resulting in great bodily harm. Authorities said that Macias had been involved in an altercation at a bar and later heard other people, including Salas, laughing about it.
After the fight at the bar, Macias went to his cousin's house on Rencher Street in Clovis. That's where he overheard people next door bragging and laughing about the incident at the bar and how they had "punked" Macias. He then became enraged, and a short time later saw Salas, one of the individuals who was laughing at the incident, driving away. That's when Macias fired three gunshots at Salas' hitting the teen once in the head.
District Attorney Matt Chandler stated, "In one of the most senseless acts of violence the defendant took one life and wasted his own, all over being embarrassed in a bar scuffle. We hope this conviction and maximum punishment of life in prison helps bring some sense of closure to the victim's family and loved ones."
Macias was originally convicted in 2007, however the New Mexico Supreme Court overturned the verdict in 2009, ruling the judge in that trial erred in allowing a jail house phone call to be played for jurors.
