Hey, is there anyone in there with the
gun or is it just him being hurt?
>> They had a gun to my head the whole way
over here.
>> Three males come, gun in my face,
blocked in my face.
>> They robbed somebody, shot somebody, and
killed him.
>> They told me to get in the car, call
somebody, and tell me to give them
$1,000 [music] while they stay with me,
brother.
>> Guys, do you have an accident at all?
[laughter]
No. [screaming]
>> Tuesday, February 11th, 2021,
Albuquerque, New Mexico. What seemed
like a casual meeting ended in a
kidnapping, an attempted rescue, and a
murder through which authorities would
uncover a network of juvenile crimes
connected by the same app. For months,
that chain of fleeting messages and
reckless decisions would guide an
investigation that revealed two
homicides, a recurring pattern, and a
lingering question. To what extent can a
screen turn a connection into a tragedy?
I'm Tyler, and this is your daily dose
of crime. We see you watching, but only
about 11% of you are subscribed to the
channel. So, if you enjoy this video,
make sure to hit subscribe and ring that
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and you can keep getting your daily dose
of crime. As always, thanks for being
here.
>> Let's go back to you initially start
talking to her.
>> Yeah. So I started talking to her for
like maybe 15 20 minutes
and
she was like she was like bringing up
like little things like she's like your
team there like
oh that's where you put your money or
like she's trying to figure stuff like
asking me a bunch of questions
and like I don't really open up so I'm
not really telling her anything but
>> I told her son stuff I do
and
As soon as I told her all that, like I
say about I'd say about 3 minutes after
three nails come in my face, 47 to my
face, uh Glock to my face, and then the
other guy pulls her out like if she's a
victim of her getting robbed, too.
But while I'm getting while I'm getting
thrown on the ground and they pulled me
out of the car, I'm listening and
he's all put in the car and she she just
texted me and she said she ran away. But
how was she running away if she was in
the car behind me while they were
bumping? They were bumping while he was
driving cuz there was there was three at
first. And I kind of looked and there
was only three males.
And then I looked I kind of looked back
and I saw a Ford, but she was in the
passenger seat of the other car.
>> What kind of car was the other car?
>> Uh it all I know is it was silver and I
didn't really get a lot of look cuz he
was pointing a gun right in my face like
the whole time. There was two guns right
in the back of my head and one to the
face on my side. So he told me not to
look at him or he'd shoot me. So I
wasn't really
worried too much about the car. I was
worried about him killing me.
Let me ask you this. So, there's three
males, right?
What is the first male that you think of
city?
>> They were all young. They were
definitely like early 19, 20, 21.
The first occupant was a white male. the
guy in the back with the with the AK-47
assault rifle to my head was definitely
a black dude just by the tone and how
his hands were I could tell.
>> So,
>> and the other dude I couldn't tell cuz
he was in the car and he was just he was
the craziest one.
>> He was the craziest.
>> Yeah. He was like he was going to shoot
me like he shot off the ground.
Hours after the homicide, detectives
from the Albuquerque Police Department's
homicide division interview Eliaso's
brother, considered the key witness in
the case. His statement becomes the
first piece of an investigation that
according to official records began in
the early hours of February 11th, 2021
when Otto was shot and killed in front
of his home in southwest Albuquerque.
Police seek to establish the exact
timeline of events, identify the
individuals present during the earlier
meeting, and determine how what was
initially described as a casual
encounter turned into a fatal shooting.
According to the information gathered up
to that point, the victim had left his
home after receiving a call from his
brother, who was in another part of the
city and reported being under threat.
Detectives now aim to determine where
that contact began, who was present, and
what relationships existed amongst those
involved. This interview would mark the
starting point for connecting Otto's
murder to other crimes committed during
that same period and help investigators
to reconstruct the network of contacts
operating behind the scenes.
>> Where did you shoot on the ground?
>> Uh at the grass field. It was like a
grass field. All I could see I was
looking down and shot and the only thing
I could think about was me getting shot
and
>> and what kind of gun did this guy have
that I had?
>> It was assault rifle too big. There were
definitely packing.
So, the young black male, he said he had
um
>> it was like a called a Draco. Like a
mini case.
>> Was it a micro Draco?
>> Uh yeah, it was It was like It was a
little Draco like you could put in your
pants.
>> Mhm. It was a little one,
but it had a big He had a big foot with
a baby.
>> They They were wrapped up. They were
masked up. I could only see their eyes,
but I couldn't I couldn't tell you. I
remember what they looked like. But
>> were they like co masked up or were they
>> They were like
>> like robbery.
>> They had like robbery. Like make sure
they don't see their face. Gloves on.
>> They were prepared for it. They were
definitely it was definitely set up.
>> So let me and let me ask you this and
understand this you're not in any
trouble. I am not the drug police
anything like that. But um was there any
transaction of narcotics? Anything like
that between you and her? Like did you
smoke any with her? Did you tell her
that you did get her anything? Any
anything like that?
>> So I do smoke I did smoke before that.
>> I'm not going to lie. I did, but I
smoked I smoked before I met up with her
and I smoked with another female.
>> And I was just asking cuz you said she
said this is where you keep your cash.
>> Yeah. What you mean by that?
>> She like so like I keep my cash in the
middle which means like if like I have
any money in there which I didn't have a
lot of money in there
and she like everything that they were
saying where it was at she knew. So it
like and
before all this started, I noticed her
phone was on on a call but she was like
kind of hiding it but kind of like it
was weird.
>> So she was actually calling somebody.
>> She she was on the phone with somebody.
>> Hey, is there anybody there with the gun
or is it just him being hurt?
>> Had a gun to my head over here.
>> All right.
Okay, cool.
>> They're all legal.
>> Okay.
>> Under eight.
>> Is he not breathing at all?
>> Let's go.
>> You guys,
>> you guys got You guys got PP.
>> I know. I got I got This is the one that
set me up.
>> We got the car up there, man. We got the
car up there. Okay.
>> I'm sorry. I just had a gun to my head.
>> Take a deep breath. Do me a favor.
>> Let's secure this. Let's try and ID him.
>> I'm going to let rescue know it's good
to go over here.
>> Okay. Watch that firearm.
>> Where's the shot at?
Come on. Stay with me.
>> Come on.
>> Stay with me. Stay with
>> your
stay.
>> Stay awake.
>> Please,
>> guys. I need the medics to make sure
that they're safe. All right. That's why
it doesn't go down this way.
Stay awake.
>> Come on.
>> During the interview, the brother
describes the moment he was intercepted
by the attackers and the weapons they
carried. According to his testimony, at
least two of them were armed with
semi-automatic pistols, which they used
immediately and without warning. His
account matches the ballistic evidence
recovered at the scene where multiple
9mm shell casings consistent with the
type of weapons used were found.
Investigators note the aggressiveness of
the attack. The shots were fired at
close range and in rapid secession,
suggesting a coordinated and
premeditated action. This information
allowed forensic analysts to determine
the shooter's positions and confirmed
that the victim was struck while
attempting to respond to the threat.
placing the act within the parameters of
intentional homicide with a firearm.
From this point forward, the
investigation focused on tracing the
weapon's origin and exploring potential
links between the suspects and other
violent robberies reported in the same
area weeks earlier.
>> A couple months ago, our daughter, so
Anna's aren't my niece,
>> okay,
>> hangs out with my daughter.
>> Mhm.
>> My other daughter doesn't really like
her, so they don't hang out. the other
day they were hanging out together for
who knows what and Anna was
gloating I guess about that they robbed
somebody
um shot somebody and killed him. I told
my daughter she's probably lying. She's
a liar. She likes to lie. She likes to
she's cool. Whatever. So the next time
they meet up my daughter's like you're a
liar. You need to stop lying
>> right? She goes, "Really?" Pulls out the
paper you guys uh some you guys gave her
stating what happened. She's like,
"Look." And starts laughing about it. So
my daughter says, "Oh, okay." And then
she just thrown in the table. My
daughter took it. I know. She took it.
She brought it to us. We read it the
other day.
>> Mhm.
>> And I'm like, "This is wrong." At the
same the next day, we're watching the
morning news and the mom comes on TV,
the guy's mom,
>> my wife said, "We have to do something
about this." I said, "I I agree." So, I
called
uh 242 cops.
>> Took them an hour to get a hold of me.
They said that they I can't do they
can't do nothing to call another number.
>> Okay.
>> I left a message. Nobody's called me
back.
>> Okay.
>> Last night, my daughter has an issue
with her boyfriend. I pulled the officer
aside and I told her.
>> Good.
>> So, what we know is this.
She This isn't the first time she does
this,
>> right?
>> She gets online Twitter. What is the
other one? Um
>> Snapchat. Snapchat and Grinder,
whatever. She gets on there, finds boys
>> dealers. That's why she it's okay with
her for doing it. And then she meets
them at a park or they pick her up at
her house.
>> She meets them at they go to a park. She
records what they she's asking
questions, you know, to see what they
have. She records it. The other people
are listening.
>> Once they know what they want, they come
and rob rob the kid. Take a stop. I
guess this time the kid gloated about
drugs, money, guns. So he told him he
has money at his brother's house. So
they take they put him in the car, they
take him to the brother's house. At this
point, the brother knows what's going
on. He walks out with the gun.
>> The one kid shoots him and kills him.
They jump back in the car. They stick
the kid back in the car. I call him a
kid cuz I don't know how old he is.
>> Right.
>> They drive down. The kid jumps out. She
says that she's following him in the
back of the car behind them.
>> Mhm. This whole time she's laughing
about this,
>> right?
>> The kid jumps out, rolls on the ground,
whatever. Doesn't even know his
brother's dead,
>> right?
>> Pick pull, you know, they pick him up,
whatever. He says, "What happened?"
Names Anna by name.
Okay. So now Dana thinks it's funny. She
left. She went, she went to Austin,
>> okay,
>> for 2 weeks. And then that boy, one of
the boys brought her back. So, she's in
town now, currently living with
another friend of hers. I have the
address where she's at now.
To me, it's wrong cuz if it would have
been one of my kids.
>> Oh, yeah.
>> I'd want something to do about something
to do about it because it's not right
what they did and they've done. It's not
the first time.
>> This isn't her first time doing this.
>> She also says,
>> "I'm a teenager. I can do anything. If I
get arrested, I get two years in
juvenile, I'm done. I don't care." In
the interview, the witness provides a
crucial lead, claiming to know the exact
address of one of the individuals
involved in the attack. He adds that the
woman regularly frequents the location,
often arriving late at night and
sometimes accompanied by two young men.
He also mentions that after the
incident, the suspect was absent for
about 2 weeks in Austin, Texas before
returning to Albuquerque and resuming
her routine at the same residence.
Investigators immediately verified the
information. cross-checking it with
prior reports and complaints related to
the same area. The address matches one
previously mentioned in earlier police
documents, allowing the homicide unit to
request a location order to confirm the
suspect's presence. The development
marks a decisive point in the
investigation. For the first time in 8
months since the crime, detectives have
a concrete lead, bringing them closer to
the alleged perpetrators.
in the back.
>> Stay with me, brother.
>> We have an exit wound at all.
>> I don't know. He's leaking batter.
>> Okay. You guys have a pulse anywhere.
>> I don't know.
>> Come on, brother. Come on. Don't do
this.
Hey, listen to me. Hey, where did it
happen, bro? Hey, where did it happen
now?
>> And they they just rolled up on me and
they
>> Where did the shooting happen? Was it
here?
>> It was They told me to bring out him
$1,000 and they told him to bring out a
gun.
>> Okay. And they I told him to do it what
they told me to do. And I told
>> Okay.
And he puts the gun to my head and he's
like, "Open the trunk. Open the trunk."
So I get up and I'm explaining to him
every move I made, my hand movement. I
got in the car and I was like, I'm
touching the button. I'm holding it up.
And I told them where the trunk pop was
and they popped it. They searched my
whole trunk. They searched through the
whole car under the seat, back of the
seat. They went through my car. I was
there for a good minute outside
and then after that they they told me to
get in the car, call somebody and tell
them to give them $1,000
or they kill me.
And me thinking, well, who am I going to
go to for $1,000
and what they wanted and so I told him
to go to my brother's house and that's
why I felt most protected and they have
guns under their names.
So that's why I felt most to take guns.
So he's driving all the way on the
freeway just on the freeway and there's
a gun to my head the whole time and I'm
trying to look trying to get clues. I'm
trying to look beyond but I look and
he's like they're staring at me the
whole time and he said if I stare at him
he shoot me in the leg and he puts the
gun he puts the vehicle to my leg and he
says if I look at him one more time
while I move or anything he's going to
shoot me.
So after that, I'm So I'm going on the
freeway forever. We're in the east side,
so I'm coming all the way up here
and
uh he goes around this thing. He goes
around it and the guy's behind him the
whole time. He's like bumping the car
like he's on he's like bumping it, like
hitting it with this.
>> And there's only one other car, right?
>> Yeah, there's only one other car with
two occupants in it and then another two
with me.
>> Okay.
>> And the back seat's very small. So he's
back there cuddled up with a gun and
just he's just just going crazy just
yelling at me. They're just yelling at
me the whole time. If I better be there,
I'm going to kill you. He's I don't got
nothing to live for. He's I will I will
really kill you. He's like, they better
come out or you're dead. I'm shooting
you. And he's just he's just threatening
me the whole time. Just death. And I'm
thinking I'm going to die. You know what
I mean? What do I do?
So I get here. I get to the house and
they pull up and they tell me to get my
phone, which I didn't know my phone was,
but it was under the seat. So, I found
it. I FaceTime my brother Jacob
and I'm They tell me not to tell him
anything. And I was just like, "Bring
$1,000 out." And this is where I
started. I was like, "Please bring
$1,000 out. Please don't do nothing.
They have two guns in my head." But I
didn't tell I didn't I couldn't tell him
that there was a occupant in the back. I
couldn't be specific because he told me
not to. So I said, "They have two guns
to my head and I my brother's like,
"Okay, so we're waiting." And he's call
him again. Call him again. So I'm
calling my brother, but then my brother
opens up the door and my older brother
that
came out and he comes out the house and
they're bald with their guns out and I'm
crying and I'm crying, "Brother, don't
do it." And the guy's pointing the gun
at me and he's screaming at I'm about
kill him. I'm about to shoot him. And
I'm like, "Oh, go ahead." I'm I'm
telling my brothers, I'm crying. I'm
like, "Please don't do what you about to
do cuz I know they're going to shoot."
So they're they're so he's telling me,
"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to
kill him. I'm going to kill him." And my
oldest brother, he just pulls out his
gun. And as soon as he pulls out his
gun, that guy starts firing. And it's
just a whole shootout.
And I'm looking at the other guy and
he's shooting the Drake car at my
brother. And the other guy's shooting at
him. And then the other guy in the other
car in the front was shooting too also
at him.
>> Okay.
>> And my brothers are shooting back and
and then they take off and I'm still in
the car like I was trying to get out. I
was trying to get out. I was trying to
budge the door open but it was locked. I
was so confused. I was like, "Oh my
god." like trying to get out and I
unlock it and we're coming around this
corner right here and we're coming and
he's like he's all uh he [ __ ] his gun
but he's still shooting at the time and
he [ __ ] it and he gets like st he gets
jammed and I'm listening to him and I'm
scared. I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm like
I'm going to die. I'm done. And he
cocked it and he gets jammed and that's
what saved my whole life. And I open up
the door and I jump out and he just
starts shooting at me. So, he was going
to shoot you, but it jumped.
>> It jumped.
>> I can hear it. It jumped.
>> As investigators listen to the
statement, the magnitude of the case
begins to take shape. The demand for
$1,000, a trivial amount compared to the
level of violence used reveals the
degree of irrationality and disregard
for life displayed by the attackers.
According to court records, the suspects
were not pursuing a planned profit, but
rather a quick opportunity to obtain
cash and weapons, turning the event into
an act of impulsive and disproportionate
violence. The Albuquerque Police
Department's analysis points to a
growing pattern of young offenders
resorting to lethal force over minimal
sums in social media facilitated
robberies. In this case, a life was
taken over a minor theft, executed with
the same brutality as a calculated
ambush, an act reflecting a complete
lack of control and human empathy. This
finding would later be key for
prosecutors in classifying the event as
intentional homicide committed during
the commission of an aggravated robbery.
[laughter]
>> Thank you for the car.
Oh my god.
[laughter]
OH MY GOD.
>> HE HAD guns at me.
>> They had guns at me, Dad.
>> Oh my god.
>> Oh no.
Tell him who it was.
>> We're going to have to stop pushing
people.
>> Tell him.
>> Don't tell him.
>> So, good morning. Today is Monday,
January 24th, 2022. It is now 10:22
a.m. Uh, my name is Joel MSAS. I'm an
assistant district attorney. Here with
me is uh on the phone is uh deputy
district attorney John Duran as well as
assistant district attorney Dana Beiel.
Um present in the room is Detective Leah
Weise with the Albuquerque Police
Department. Uh Detective Scott McMurrow
with the Albuquerque Police Department.
Um Ashley Rumor Ploud. And can you say
your name for me please?
>> Dukes.
>> Okay. Okay. So Anna, I'm just going to
kind of explain a little bit real quick
um who I am and what I do. Okay. So, I'm
a detective with APD, but I'm also a
detective with APD homicide. All right.
So, I am the detective that investigated
the case um it we call 480 Timothy. So,
it's the case in reference to um a young
man that was shot after a red Lexus and
another vehicle were taken. Um and it's
the one that you were charged on. Okay.
So, that's that's one of the cases that
I'm investigating. The other case that
I'm investigating is in reference to
Donnie Jacob Brandon, which was a
shooting ago. There are a few people
that are already in custody for that
case. Okay. Um the people that are
already in custody are Joan Bennett,
Luis Aella, Armando Rodriguez. Um and uh
I'll also be asking you questions about
that. But the way that I kind of want to
do this is I'm going to ask you
questions first just in reference to 480
Timothy.
>> Okay.
>> And just to let everybody know, we have
two other incidents, too.
>> So Anna, what I want to do is I just
want to give you the floor. So, I want
you to tell me um what you know of the
case that kind of started at Alvarado
Park. Um how you guys became in
um in possession of the Impala and then
how everything else occurred after that.
Okay. Um if you can speak up though,
just because we have a couple people on
the phone and they'll have they'll need
to hear you too. But I'm just going to
give you the floor and then when you're
done, I'm going to go back and ask you
questions. Okay.
>> Um, so it all started um I don't know
the exact date. I had went to a party
with my ex-boyfriend Damian Topia and he
had a friend that goes by Lucky and um
we're at a party and it was a Mexican
party. So I had stopped being friends
with Adrian cuz I heard about the
previous case that he's involved in.
>> Okay. And so I ran into him and it was
him, this guy named Goon that his real
name was John and then a couple other
people and his older brother. And Damian
was wearing like jewelry and he had um
the the teeth that people have the fake
ones.
>> And who did? Adrian.
>> Damian.
>> Damian. Okay.
>> And so then Adrian was like he walked up
behind me and he was like, "Thank you so
much for bringing us him." And I was
like, "What do you mean?" And then he
was like, "U Josiah wants to lick on
him." And I was like, "No, that's I told
him that it was my cousin." I was like,
"That's my cousin. you guys can't do
that. And then he was like, um, we're
going to do it. Like, just shut up. And
I was like, no. And so then I turned to
Dam and I was like, hey, go get my purse
from the car and look for my pen. And I
didn't have a pen. And so then he's
like, okay. So him and his friends
started walking to the car. And then I
started walking behind them. And then
that's when Adrian ran behind us and he
pulled a Draco out of his pants. And he
started to like make sure that it was
able to shoot, I think. And his he gave
Josiah a gun and he was like, "We're
going to do it now." And I was like,
"Stop." And I kept telling him, "Stop."
And then that's when he was like, "How
many guns do they have?" And I was like,
"I don't know if they even have guns.
Just leave it alone." And then Adrian
kept yelling at me. And then finally
Damian got in his car. And then that's
when Adrian was like, "If I see you
around Albuquerque, you're dead. You
better you have 5 seconds to leave now."
And so then I was like, "Why? Because I
won't let you guys rob somebody like you
hurt him." And then he was like, "We
weren't even going to do anything like
that. You should have just let us do
it." And I just left with Damon. And
then that's when Gooni called me and he
said he told me that I was lucky. He
didn't know that the guy I was with was
named Lucky. And then I was like, "Who's
Lucky?" And he's like, "I have beef with
his brother named Rico." And I guess
they had robbed him before for
like, "Well, I didn't know that." And
then their friend Goon told me that I
was better if I left my house that night
because Adrian was planning on going
over there and shooting it up. And so
then their friend Adam picked me up and
he said that he had to take Gooni his
bag to him. And then Goon went to grab
the bag and they seen that they didn't
roll one of the windows down, which was
where I was hiding. And so then Adam
drove off and he drove to the Sonic on
Rio Grand and Bridge I think it was and
he told me to get in the trunk. So he
put me in the trunk and then he drove to
Adrian to give them the rest of their
stuff out of his car. And that's when
Adrian was like, "Where's that stupid?"
And then Adam was like, "I don't know
where she's at."
>> During her interview with investigators,
Annabelle Dukes, one of the individuals
involved, claims that her participation
in the incident was the result of
pressure from those accompanying her.
She insists she never intended to commit
a robbery and was forced to take part,
alleging she tried unsuccessfully to
stop the attack. However, detectives
note several aspects of her demeanor
throughout the interview. Dukes recounts
the events with precision and without
hesitation, recalling sequences, names,
and movements almost chronologically,
even though the interview takes place
nearly a year after the homicide. Her
fluent delivery and absence of pauses,
typical of memory reconstruction, draw
the investigators attention. She shows
no signs of confusion or effort to
recall. Instead, speaking quickly,
calmly, and without emotion, as if the
events had occurred only days before.
This apparent coherence contrasts
sharply with her claim of having acted
under duress. Furthermore, digital
evidence recovered from her account
shows prior and active communication
with both the victims and the attackers,
directly contradicting her statement of
being forced to participate. For
prosecutors, both her behavior and the
electronic records indicate prior
knowledge and voluntary involvement,
reinforcing the conclusion that Dukes
played a deliberate role in planning the
encounter.
>> Let's go over.
>> Let's step over this way. All right.
Hey, shut up.
>> Hey, step out with my son. You tell me
where to step for
you.
>> That was my son.
>> Here's the other
one. No, I want to
>> How many times did you get shot?
>> I don't know.
>> Where at out here?
>> The way that you had Nick boy in the
head.
>> Who did?
>> The guy who tried to steal car,
>> huh?
>> Then went up to them. He said, "You
ain't a stealing with his car." We start
They started shooting.
>> They started shooting Leah.
>> And then I I started shooting at them.
He came out of his underwear.
>> No, they took all the clothes off of
him.
>> He came out here cuz Nick said he had
other guys pointed a gun at him. So he
came to my outfit.
>> He came to He came out here to
[laughter]
then he started shooting at him.
Suddenly is
>> they took they took your mom's car took
off.
>> They took off and jumped out.
>> They took Can they take the car?
>> Know whose it was? Have to know who they
did who did it.
>> 30 minutes to get here.
>> Oh, the cops took forever to get here. I
was on hold the whole time from the
house to here. On hold with 911. I was
on HOLD WITH 911. I WAS ON HOLD. 911 PUT
ME ON HOLD.
>> And then Adrian started to follow Adam
in the car and I just felt that the cows
was in the trunk. So I was freaking out
and I was texting Danny asking her to
let me out and she kept telling me no
because they were behind us. And then
Adam crashed into somebody's fence and
then he got out to get the bumper and
that's when I heard Adrian. He was like,
"Why are you running from us, brother?
Is that dumping you?" or something like
that. And then Adam drove off and went
to Danny's house. And then that's when
they kept making threats to me saying
that they were going to hurt my family
or they were going to hurt me if I
didn't set somebody up for them. And so
then um
they kept making the threats and so then
I told them if I got the pendant from
Damian, which is what they wanted, if
they could leave me alone. And they said
that's um if I could get it from him and
Damian wouldn't hang out with me cuz he
knew that they were trying to rob him
cuz I told him. And so then he said the
only way that they wouldn't hurt me was
if I set two people up for them. So they
had me do Richie for them. And when they
set Richie up, they told me to get the
gun from him, so I did. And um I went
behind a tree and I didn't want to look.
I didn't see anything that had happened
between them. I just started running.
And then that's when they came and um
picked me up. And then they dropped me
off at home and I told them I was really
scared because Richie knows the person
that I was staying with. And then um
Adrian was like, "We're still not good
until you do a second person." I was
like, "Dude, I can't do that. Like this
is bad." And then he kept we wouldn't be
on good terms. Like he wouldn't leave me
alone. And then
that's when he told me to do somebody
named Nick. He said that he knows that
Nick was a a plug. And Nick was texting
me at the time. And so Nick had wanted
to hang out with me. So I told Nick that
we could hang out. And Adrian told me to
do Alvarado Park cuz there wasn't
cameras there. He said that he drove
around. And so we went to Alvarado Park.
And that's when Adrian that's Adrian
told me to keep the doors unlocked cuz
he said the first time I did it wrong
that this time I needed to keep the
doors unlocked and to ask him if he has
guns or jewelry. And so I did. I asked
him if he had any guns and he had
already had the doors unlocked. So I
asked him if he had any guns and he said
that he had a Draco in the trunk. So I
texted Adrian. I said Draco in the trunk
and then that's when I went to get out
of the car and Adrian and Santos and
Josiah ran up to the car and they just
started screaming and so then I ran and
I
>> So what what seat is Josiah sitting in?
And you said Josiah's driving Richie's
car. Is that right?
>> Sitting in the driver seat.
>> He's in the driver's seat. Okay. And
where are you at in the in Richie's car?
I was at first in the front seat and
then when they said that somebody was
looking out the window, I laid down in
the back seat.
>> Okay. And then where is Adrien in Nick's
car?
>> He's driving.
>> He's driving. Okay. And then where is
Santos in the back seat?
>> In the back seat. Okay. Um what what
happens after you lay down?
>> After I laid down, I just heard um it
wasn't Adrian screaming. I think it was
the brother screaming. I heard I heard
yelling. And then I just heard two or
three gunshots. And then that's when
Josiah put the car in drive and then
reached out and started shooting. And
then I started yelling at him and asked
him to stop, but he just told me to shut
up.
>> Okay. Okay. All right. Um, so I'm going
to I'm going to go through a couple
things with you real quick. So Santos,
describe Santos for me.
>> Um, he's a short he's Mexican. He's
short and he has um like straight hair
that goes like right here.
How long did you and Adrien date?
>> Um, I think four months.
>> Four months. Okay.
All right. Can you tell me who that is?
Adrien.
>> That's Adrien. What?
>> Yes, please. What else do you know
Adrien by?
>> Uh, Baby Waffle.
>> Baby Wapo. Okay. And what's Adrienne's
last name?
>> Aila.
>> Aila. Okay. And then now you had said
that after the shooting that you guys go
back to the
and tell Wo's brother or baby Wo's
brother Adrian's brother
>> yes sorry to the John Street address. I
apologize or San Jose.
>> Um but you guys go back to San Jose and
tell um
>> Andreas.
>> Andress that you don't know what
happened to Adrian.
>> Yes.
>> Okay. Um, and then he goes and picks up
Adrien from an area. Did you go with
them during that time? Okay.
>> Um, Josiah made me go with them.
>> Okay.
>> My phone's the only phone that they had.
>> Was it in the the car that Josiah was
driving?
>> It was No, it was in um it was in
Andres's
girlfriend, some type of car that he had
over that night. He just took her car.
>> Okay.
>> It was I can't remember. It had a car
seat in it, but I don't remember. Like
>> All right. Dukes maintains that during
the shooting she did not fire or
intervene directly and that her
intention was to leave the area once the
shots began. For investigators, her
account provides key names and
relationships that helped to link the
February 11th, 2021 murder of Elias
Ottero to the earlier killing of Donnie
Brandon committed 6 months prior under a
similar pattern of ambush and robbery.
Her statement, however, contains notable
contradictions. Although she claims not
to remember the exact sequence of the
shooting, she describes in detail the
vehicle's positions, the weapons, and
the participants, suggesting active
presence and direct observation during
the attack. Her tone remains steady and
composed with no emotional changes,
reinforcing the impression that she is
not reconstructing a memory, but
narrating an event she fully remembers.
This testimony allows detectives to
confirm the connections amongst Dukes,
Avia, and other suspects and to
establish the degree of coordination
that would later lead prosecutors to
classify the case as premeditated
homicide involving multiple
participants.
>> Um, and then Andre Andres then comes
back with Adrian and bleaches the guns
and and you said pine the guns. Yeah, he
used bleach and pine and I think
fabuloso. He just poured all kinds of
stuff in the bathtub.
>> Okay. And then they scrub them down.
>> Yeah.
>> And then they were You said and I and
I'm just clarifying. So if I get
something wrong, please let me know.
>> So you said then Adrian takes them with
a shovel to two different people's
houses.
>> I think he took the guns. I didn't
really notice cuz um when his brother
was bleaching the guns, Adrian had left
to burn their clothes and his brother
started threatening me and he told me he
put the gun he put his own gun in my
head and told me that snitched. Yeah.
>> He told me if I snitched then he would
kill me because his brother can't be
going through that.
>> Okay.
>> And so whenever they had like done
whatever the guns I was just sitting on
their couch like in shock. I was I was
scared. Now, just so I can clarify, in
vehicle is Adrian
>> driving and
Josiah is the one that's in Richie's
car. Yes.
>> Okay. And then Santos um is the one that
is in Adrian's vehicle or is in the
vehicle with Adrian but in the back.
Okay. Um how long have you known Santos
for?
>> Um I've known him for a couple of
months.
>> Okay.
>> Not that long. We just met him when
Armando had went to jail.
>> Okay.
Okay. So, we know Adrian driving. We
know Santos, who we identified on the
phone. Uh, we know Andre is the one that
threatens to kill you if you say
anything. We know that Damian is kind of
the preface to all of what occurred. And
then we know that Josiah is the one
that's driving.
>> Yes. Um, now correct me if I'm wrong,
but during the carjacking that occurs
with Richard, where they take his car,
um, all three other than Andre
um, and not Damian either. Uh, Josiah,
Adrien, Avia. So, um, Josiah, Adrien,
Avula, and then also, um,
>> Santos. Santos are the three that were
there that were committing these
carjackings. Okay. I just want that we
clarify that. And
the other kind of the other question is
you had said that they then started kind
of picking on Serenity. Why why to do
these robberies? Why were they going to
have Serenity do these robberies? They
>> kind of just um it's cuz Serena, she's a
really pretty girl, so she has a lot of
attention from guys that they don't like
that they want to be robbed. Gotcha.
So they just kind of like have
girls that they could care less about do
stuff like this because if it does come
down to somebody getting hurt then the
girls get the pressure back. They don't.
>> With Annabelle Dukes's statement and
more than a year of collected evidence,
investigators were able to assemble the
complete structure of the case.
Ballistic analysis, digital
communications, and cross-reference
testimonies confirmed that Adrienne Ava,
just 16 years old, had participated in
two murders and several armed robberies,
while Dukes acted as the intermediary
who lured victims to their attackers. In
April of 2024, Avo was sentenced to 29
years in prison for the murders of
Eliaso and Donnie Brandon, as well as
for kidnapping and aggravated robbery.
Dukes in turn reached a plea agreement
that reduced her charges to felony
robbery, receiving a sentence of 5 to 15
years, while Josiah Opadaka was
sentenced to 10 years for his
involvement in the earlier assault. The
case formally concluded with
confirmation that both murders were
connected by the same pattern, meetings
arranged through social media, minimal
financial motives, and extreme violence.
For prosecutors, the investigation
revealed how a series of impulsive,
digitally coordinated decisions led to
irreversible consequences, leaving two
victims dead and multiple families
devastated. Beyond the sentences, the
case exposed a growing phenomenon, the
normalization of youth violence and its
link to digital platforms where each
fleeting message can become the first
step toward a premeditated crime.