Fourth Defendant Pleads Guilty to Assault Charge Arising out of Drive-By-Shooting of Acoma Pueblo Home

ALBUQUERQUE – Joseph Edward Lucero, 24, entered a guilty plea this morning to an assault charge arising out of the drive-by shooting of an Acoma Pueblo home in Dec. 2012.  Lucero’s three co-defendants previously entered guilty pleas to crimes arising out of that drive-by-shooting.

Lucero, Preston Chino, 21, Cameron Joseph Kasero, 21, and Andrea Carrillo, 22, all members and residents of Laguna Pueblo, were indicted in July 2013 on assault and firearms charges.  The indictment charged the four defendants with assaulting two men and a woman on Dec. 9, 2012, by discharging firearms at a residence located in Acoma Pueblo in Cibola County, N.M.

During today’s hearing, Lucero pled guilty to Count 1 of the indictment charging him with assault with a dangerous weapon.  Lucero admitted obtaining a firearm from Chino and discharging the firearm multiple times at the residence while it was occupied by the victims.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, Lucero will be sentenced to a prison term within the range of 72 to 96 months followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

Chino entered a guilty plea on Aug. 27, 2014, to an assault charge and admitted aiding Kasero and Lucero in assaulting the three victims by providing shotguns and ammunition to them.  He also admitted driving his co-defendants to the victims’ Acoma Pueblo home where they discharged the shotguns multiple times in the direction of the residence.  Under the terms of his plea agreement, Chino will be sentenced to 96 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.

Kasero and Carrillo entered guilty pleas on Sept. 2, 2014.  Kasero admitted assaulting the victims discharging a shotgun at a residence while it was occupied by the victims. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Kasero will be sentenced to 96 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court. 

In entering her guilty plea, Carrillo admitted aiding the assault on the victims by providing her cohorts with directions to the residence with the understanding that they intended to commit an assault at that location.   Carrillo faces a statutory maximum sentence of ten years in prison followed by a term of supervised release to be determined by the court.  

The sentencing hearings in this case have yet to be scheduled.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI, the Laguna Agency of the BIA’s Office of Justice Services, the Acoma Pueblo Tribal Police and the Pueblo of Laguna Tribal Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Nayback is prosecuting the case.