18-year-old in Federal Custody After Isleta Man Killed; Fled with Pregnant Girlfriend

Federal agents arrested Bonifacio Silva, 18, after an Isleta man identified in court records as T.J. was found fatally shot outside a home on the Pueblo of Isleta. Silva has been charged in U.S. District Court with second-degree murder and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. The case has stirred alarm across the Pueblo, where leaders say the shooting has left families shaken.

FBI Special Agent Adam Barrangan responded to the scene in the 3000 block of N.M. 47 after the Isleta Police Department reported an argument that ended in a shooting. Officers found T.J. on the ground outside the home and despite life-saving measures he succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The criminal complaint says Silva, who is not a member of the Pueblo, fled in a 2023 silver Dodge Challenger with his girlfriend, a Pueblo member who was about 37 weeks pregnant.

The FBI issued a wanted bulletin and agents located Silva after investigators used an emergency ping on his cellphone to try to find the pregnant woman, whom Barrangan said could be in danger. The ping placed the phone near the 5000 block of Anderson Ave. SW in Albuquerque. Later the girlfriend and the Dodge Charger were found at a home on Potomac Circle in Albuquerque. She told officers she dropped Silva off near Central and San Mateo before seeking help at her father’s house.

At a preliminary detention hearing U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura Fashing ordered Silva remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal Service pending trial. Pueblo of Isleta Governor Eugene Jiron urged the judge to consider the risks of release, writing the Pueblo is a “close-knit community with strong, interwoven relationships,” and that “the crimes committed by Mr. Silva have left a lasting impact on our community and forever changed the lives of many, including a young family.” Authorities say the FBI captured Silva after the bulletin but did not disclose details of the arrest.

Court filings include statements from the girlfriend, identified as Jane Doe, describing the moments before the shooting. Jane Doe said that “(T.J.) was aggressive at this time and Silva was calm.” She told agents the two were driving away when T.J. banged on the car and leaned into the open window with “one hand partially in the vehicle and the other hand...by his waistband.” She said she heard a loud noise and felt a tasing or “zing” on her left arm, then saw T.J. “laying down next to the vehicle ... and she saw the bleeding coming from (T.J.’s) chest.” Jane Doe told investigators she lied to a responding officer and claimed she was going into labor “because she did not know if Silva would have killed her and the police officer.”

The shooting and its aftermath carry public health and safety implications for Valencia County and the Pueblo of Isleta. Community trauma, the needs of a pregnant woman who witnessed violence, and concerns about domestic confrontations on tribal land underscore gaps in culturally appropriate victim services and emergency response. The involvement of federal authorities highlights jurisdictional stakes in violent crimes that occur on tribal property.

For readers, the case signals that federal court proceedings will follow and that community leaders are pressing for accountability and protection. Residents can expect further court dates and may see increased outreach from tribal and local agencies as families and neighbors seek support and healing in the weeks ahead.