Officers and neighbors testify in Kruse murder trial over shotgun evidence

The second day of Adam Kruse's murder trial on Jan. 13 centered on officer and neighbor testimony about a backyard confrontation and the shotgun evidence that links the scene to Kruse's home. Kruse, 59, of Rio Rancho, is charged with first-degree murder in the Dec. 10, 2024, killing of Josiah Yazzie in the Northern Meadows neighborhood.

Prosecutors presented detailed testimony about the scene on Dixon Meadows Drive, where officers found Yazzie dead behind the wheel of his car and Kruse lying near a broken section of wooden fence that borders his yard. Police described a concrete sidewalk between the fence and the road and documented a broken fence panel whose top was broken toward the yard while the fractured piece of wood lay on the street side. Photos entered through testimony showed blood droplets on leaves in front of the fence.

The first officer on scene described vehicle damage consistent with a shotgun: a passenger window facing the fence was open, the driver's side window was up but shattered with several impact holes, and Yazzie sustained a wound to the right side of his head consistent with bird shot. Officers testified they observed a shotgun in Kruse's living room through a sliding glass door and found a shotgun shell in a pile of leaves near the victim's car. They said rounds loaded in the gun matched the shell recovered on the sidewalk, and an owner's manual for the firearm was located in a filing cabinet in Kruse's home.

Testimony also addressed Kruse's condition and statements to police. Officers said Kruse gave differing accounts—first that he had fallen, later that he had been hit by something, then that he did not know what had happened. They noted fresh injuries to his head and hands and observed wood "chips" or "chunks" on his clothing. Medical photos displayed during testimony showed chronic nerve damage to Kruse's elbow that impairs use of his right arm.

Two neighbors testified about what they heard and saw. A backyard neighbor said she called police after hearing a gunshot and seeing "someone" run through Kruse's house, open and close the glass door, then jump the fence and "disappear." She told officers initially that the person could not have been Kruse because that person was slender and Kruse "can't run because of his condition," but during testimony she said, "I didn't want to believe that it was him." Another resident testified he heard two men yelling in the street and one telling the other to drive away because he had a gun; he called police.

Police said they searched for another suspect but did not locate anyone. A K9 unit was available but not deployed because officers said they could not determine a search direction without disturbing multiple homeowners. The defense highlighted that no gunshot residue testing was performed; officers explained the Rio Rancho Police Department lacks the kits and the state lab does not conduct that test, and witnesses testified about limitations in residue testing for timing and source.

Courtroom proceedings moved quickly; the state had scheduled two more witnesses for Jan. 14 before the defense planned to recall witnesses and both sides prepared for closing arguments and jury deliberation. For Sandoval County residents, the trial touches on neighborhood safety, evidence collection practices and resource limits in local policing. The coming days will determine whether the jury finds the state has met its burden and may prompt closer scrutiny of how officers secure scenes and document ballistic and forensic evidence in street-level shootings.