As part of the plea agreement, the parties have agreed that a specific sentence of life imprisonment is the appropriate disposition in this case.
Source: Department of Justice
Photos: Courtesy Las Cruces Police Department
A federal guilty plea entered Friday in the case of Zachary Babitz closes one chapter in a violent crime spree that touched multiple New Mexico communities — including Las Cruces, where Babitz was apprehended after an armed robbery, alleged carjacking, and crash near Missouri Avenue and Triviz Drive in August 2024.
Readers may recall the case first drew local attention when Babitz was arrested in Las Cruces following deadly violence in Santa Fe County and a string of armed robberies across the state. In October 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced its intent to seek the death penalty in the federal case.
Friday’s announcement marks a significant turn: Babitz has pleaded guilty, and, according to the plea agreement, the parties have agreed that life imprisonment is the appropriate disposition.
Below is the U.S. Department of Justice news release, published as issued.
Zachary Babitz Pleads Guilty in Federal Case Involving Armed Robberies, Carjackings, and Fatal Shooting
ALBUQUERQUE – Zachary Babitz has pleaded guilty after committing a series of armed robberies and carjackings across New Mexico in 2024 that culminated in the fatal shooting of a victim during a carjacking in Santa Fe County.
According to court documents, between July 30 and August 10, 2024, Babitz, 40, committed a series of armed robberies, carjackings, and a fatal shooting across Bernalillo, Santa Fe, and Doña Ana counties.
Babitz began on July 30, 2024, when he entered an AutoZone in Albuquerque armed with a 9mm handgun, demanded money from an employee, and stole approximately $345. On July 31, he robbed a Wells Fargo bank in Albuquerque by presenting a demand note and indicating he was armed, obtaining approximately $3,300.
On August 3, Babitz robbed a Jersey Mike’s restaurant at gunpoint, taking cash from the register and forcing an employee to open a safe where additional money was stolen.
On August 6, 2024, Babitz committed a carjacking in Santa Fe County during which he confronted the victim with a firearm and shot him, causing his death.
Following the homicide, Babitz continued his violent conduct. On August 9, he carried out another carjacking in Bernalillo County. On August 10 in Las Cruces, Babitz and an accomplice robbed an Arby’s restaurant at gunpoint, stealing cash, and later that same day participated in another armed carjacking in which they forced a victim from a vehicle using firearms.
Babitz pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, one count of bank robbery, one count of carjacking resulting in death, one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and causing death through the use and possession of a firearm, one count of carjacking, two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting, two counts of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting, one count of carjacking and aiding and abetting, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. As part of the plea agreement, the parties have agreed that a specific sentence of life imprisonment is the appropriate disposition in this case.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Sarah Mauricio, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, Santa Fe Police Department, Albuquerque Police Department and Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Elena Stiteler and Natasha Moghadam are prosecuting the case.
Returning to the Local Story
For Las Cruces, the case has always carried a dimension beyond the federal courtroom.
The events of August 10, 2024, were not abstract to this community. They included an armed robbery at an East Lohman Avenue restaurant, a reported carjacking nearby, a crash near Missouri Avenue and Triviz Drive, and an arrest that brought a statewide manhunt abruptly into local streets.
Photo released allegedly depicting Babitz’ accomplice in Las Cruces. No announcement has been made regarding the identification or apprehension of this accomplice.
The guilty plea does not erase the violence that preceded it, nor the fatal loss at the center of the case. It does, however, bring resolution to a prosecution stemming from a series of crimes that crossed county lines and ended, in part, here.
It also closes a chapter on a case many in our broader community have followed from the moment Babitz was taken into custody in Las Cruces.
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