Man fatally shoots friend, beats girlfriend in ‘jealous rage,’ NM officials say

A man is accused of killing his longtime friend and assaulting his girlfriend in a “jealous rage,” New Mexico officials said.

In June, 48-year-old Jonathan Torres’ girlfriend, the mother of his child, told him that his friend, Orlando Atencio, had helped fix her car’s alternator, according to a criminal complaint.

That’s when Torres became “irate and accused her of cheating on him” with Atencio, the complaint said.

He hit her in the face and head, dragging her to a car before forcing her to drive him to Atencio’s home, according to a news release by the Albuquerque Police Department.

Although at first she refused, she told police she saw Torres reaching for something and was unsure if it was a gun, the complaint said.

When the two arrived, Torres shot Atencio from inside the car, police said. Eventually, Torres got out of the car and shot Atencio two more times, killing him.

Atencio was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

After the shooting, Torres forced his girlfriend to drive him to a friend’s home before the two were taken to the woman’s aunt’s home, the complaint said.

When Torres’ girlfriend was going inside the home, he told her, “You get back in five minutes, I’m going to kill you too,” but eventually Torres left the area when the woman stayed inside, the complaint said.

Torres was arrested and charged with murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault against a household member, aggravated assault, felon in possession of a firearm, battery against a household member, and shooting at or from a vehicle resulting in great bodily harm, police said.

This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Man fatally shoots friend, beats girlfriend in ‘jealous rage,’ NM officials say."