A New Mexico teenager who was previously charged with randomly murdering an Uber driver is now facing new charges in a separate case involving his 7-year-old brother.
The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office announced on Facebook on August 14 that 18-year-old Sheliky Sanchez had been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, child abuse, and witness intimidation. These charges stem from an alleged May incident and were discovered during the homicide investigation of Uber driver Joseph Andrus earlier this month.
Prosecutors allege that Sanchez pointed a gun at his 7-year-old half-brother in May. Prosecutors detailed the new charges at a detention hearing on Wednesday, according to local NBC affiliate KOB. During the hearing, prosecutors stated that Sanchez was drunk when he allegedly threatened the boy with the gun and told him “not to tell,” but they did not specify what prompted the threat.
When police interviewed Sanchez about the Andrus case, he allegedly claimed that “he had killed three other people when he was a juvenile,” prosecutors said. Police have begun investigating those claims, but KOB reports that they remain unverified.
Judge Brett Loveless stated in court on Wednesday that “holding a firearm to the head of a 7-year-old child is violent and clearly was disturbing to the alleged victim.” Sanchez was ordered by Loveless to remain in custody until his trial.
Sanchez was originally charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Andrus on August 7. As Law&Crime previously reported, Sanchez told police that he allegedly shot Andrus because “he wanted to let some steam off due to’so much stress and so much bulls—.'”
