Man hides in storage room and kills ex’s friend after ambush, New Mexico officials say
A man accused of fatally shooting a friend of his ex-girlfriend after an ambush was convicted of second-degree murder in New Mexico, officials said.
Chase Brandon Cuffie, now 40, stalked his ex-girlfriend, then killed her friend Craig Dixon in a shooting in July 2023, the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office said in a March 28 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The ex-girlfriend and two friends, including Dixon, were on a first-floor patio at the ex’s apartment in Albuquerque “when a man emerged from an outdoor storage room with a black handgun,” police said in a news release at the time.
The man’s face was hidden by a shirt, but the ex-girlfriend identified him as Cuffie, police said. She told police he’d “been stalking her for several months,” per the release.
Cuffie “forced (his ex-girlfriend) and her friends inside the apartment,” and he shot and killed Dixon when Dixon made a run for the door, according to prosecutors.
Along with the second-degree murder conviction, a jury also found Cuffie guilty of three counts of aggravated assault, prosecutors said.
McClatchy News reached out to his attorney March 31 and was awaiting a response.
A sentencing date wasn’t announced.
In an online obituary, the 28-year-old Dixon was described as “a light that shined bright.”
The father of two had a passion for basketball and enjoyed spending time with loved ones, the obituary said, adding that Dixon “has left an indelible mark on our lives.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2025 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Man hides in storage room and kills ex’s friend after ambush, New Mexico officials say."
.JPG)