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The East Mesa house at 8735 Tammy Lane where 18-year-old Jerry Zamarripa was beaten Feb. 20 and ultimately died from him injuries, is seen Monday.
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LAS CRUCES - What started as a small, post-game gathering Feb. 20 at the East Mesa home of two Oñate High School graduates grew to 30 or 40 people - not all of who knew each other or were interested in getting along. One young man punched a second in the face. Andrew "Tuna" Martinez, a 24-year-old nicknamed after a drug dealer in the 2001 movie "Blow" - was pushed into the pool and stabbed in the arm as he got out.

Then Martinez allegedly picked up the knife, threatening to stab anyone who didn't back away, and things got even uglier.

The makings of what ended up with a popular teenager dead and an uninvolved Vietnam veteran killed in a misguided revenge shooting a day later were detailed in new court documents filed Monday by Do-a Ana sheriff's investigator Manny Carrera in Las Cruces Magistrate Court.

As tensions mounted that night, 18-year-old Jerry Zamarripa, an OHS senior and football player, approached Martinez's gray, ignition interlock-equipped Mercedes SUV and told the group to leave, witnesses said.

There was a scuffle - during which one girl tried to intervene and was punched in the face by Zamarripa. Martinez allegedly used a "large kitchen knife" and stabbed OHS senior Anthony Sena, 18. Then, he grabbed a golf club and allegedly struck former OHS football player Deshaun Jones in the forehead, pulled up his shirt to reveal the black handle of a handgun, and beat Zamarripa in the back and in the skull before fleeing - another friend at the wheel

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because he had not been drinking - court documents state.

Zamarripa, left bleeding on the ground, would never awaken.

"'Tuna' told (his friends) he hit the guy so hard that the head of the golf club broke off, as he showed them the handle of the golf club," a girl in the car told police. Another girl told a similar story: "'Tuna' started to brag about how hard he struck the guy on the ground. (The girl had) approached the subject who had been struck in an attempt to help him, but was told by 'Tuna' to get back into the car."

Party site

Homeowners Carlos and Rita Fonseca were out of town that night and had left their sons, 22-year-old Carlos Jr. and 18-year-old Enrique, both O-ate High School graduates, in charge of the two-story home in the 8700 block of Tammy Lane on the East Mesa.

Neighbor Patricia Salvatierra, who has lived next door for four years with her husband and their two daughters, said that the Fonsecas' home - unlike at least one other in the neighborhood - was not a party house and that the family had been "really good neighbors." Salvatierra's sister, she said, works with Carlos Fonseca Sr., who is heartbroken over what transpired at his home. The Sunday after the party, she said, was the first time she'd ever seen sheriff's officers on that stretch of road. Indeed, the Do-a Ana Sheriff's Office reports officers had no record of ever responding to calls about loud or disruptive parties at the Fonsecas' residence.

"I didn't see anything until the morning, when I saw the cops and the yellow (crime scene) ribbons," Salvatierra said, noting that she hadn't even heard music the night of the get-together.

While she's not close to the family, Salvatierra said they always seemed friendly and responsible.

"I feel sorry for them because they're good people and this will cause them problems," she said. But she also feels devastated for the families of the victims of the senseless violence, she said. "I just feel sorry for (Zamarripa) and his family, to lose somebody that young."

Lives forever changed

Of course, Zamarripa's is not the only family devastated.

A day after the fight, Homero Avalos, 19, Myles V. Calderon, 17, and 16-year-old Johnny Ray Vallejos - alleged members of a graffiti tagging crew and reportedly friends of Zamarripa's - and Aaron Valdivia, 23, tried to find Martinez's home. Misjudging his neighborhood by five miles, they drove to a mobile home park in Mesilla Park, donned white latex gloves and shot at least 10 rounds from a .22-caliber rifle at the home of 57-year-old Julian Peña, killing him almost instantly.

The four were arrested Thursday and charged with murder, shooting at a home, tampering with evidence and conspiracy; sheriff's Lt. Michael Kinney said they showed "no remorse" for their actions. On Friday, from jail, they made their first appearance in Magistrate Court via video, according to court records.

Martinez, after questioning at the sheriff's office in which he allegedly admitted to stabbing Sena and beating Zamarripa, was arrested Friday night and charged with murder and aggravated assault. When he learned that Zamarripa was on life support, Martinez told investigator Carrera "(my) heart hurts."

The next morning, just before noon, Zamarripa's heart stopped unexpectedly at University Medical Center in El Paso, where he had been on life support since the attack.

Peña, 57, will be laid to rest today; services for 18-year-old Zamarripa are scheduled for Friday.

The five young men charged with their murders remain in jail, awaiting preliminary hearings or presentation before a Doña Ana County grand jury soon.

District Attorney Amy Orlando on Monday called the crimes "senseless" and "sad."

"It appears both cases involve individuals who thought they could do whatever they wanted and get away with it," she said, promising her office would prosecute all five to the fullest extent of the law. "It's not going to bring back either victim, but hopefully, it will bring the families some closure and some comfort to the community ... We will be staying on top of both cases and making sure justice is done."

Ashley Meeks can be reached at (575) 541-5462.

Saying goodbye

•Julian Peña's funeral is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. today at Baca's Chapel of Prayer with interment following in Hillcrest Memorial Gardens Cemetery, with a military honors accorded by a Fort Bliss Honor Guard and El Perro Diablo Detachment, Marine Corps League.

•Jerry Zamarripa's viewing will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at Immaculate Heart of Mary, followed by a funeral Mass at 10 a.m. Friday at the same location. It's not yet known if the school district will have a separate, public memorial.