Albuquerque criminal defense attorney Lizzy Bunker successfully secured the complete acquittal of one teen client in the shooting death of Mariano Salazar, while also securing a reduced sentence for another. The victory represents the continued success of Bunker’s law practice and ability to represent clients charged with the most severe crimes.
Jurors on October 23 2025 acquitted teenagers Elliott Peralta and Ruben Valdez of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in a case involving the death of Salazar, a 17-year-old boy, in a Downtown parking lot in Albuquerque a year prior. Peralta, 19, received a full acquittal, while his cousin, Valdez, received a conviction downgrade to voluntary manslaughter.
The incident occurred on level four of the parking garage on the corner of Gold SW and Second on June 30 2024. Salazar was shot in the chest and died at the scene.
The prosecution attempted to argue Valdez, the shooter, shot from a car window driven by Peralta while looking down from an opening in the parking lot structure, leading to Salazar’s death. However, Bunker argued to jurors that Valdez and Peralta had acted in self-defense following direct threats, including taunts and weapons being pointed directly at them with laser sights. Specifically, the taunts were a threat to the vehicle’s occupiers, including threats on life, Bunker argued.
“Ruben (Valdez) had the right to defend himself and he had a right to defend his cousin, Elliott (Peralta),” Bunker told jurors. “You will learn that the fourth story (of the parking structure) was covered with men with firearms.”
Lizzy Bunker successfully made the case by relying on social media messages exchanged after the killing occurred. These showed a history of disputes between the youths in the parking garage, indicating animosity.
Prosecutors tried to use this evidence to argue that Valdez had made the decision beforehand to shoot at the other group, killing Salazar in the process. However, Bunker successfully defended against this line of reasoning, and the court agreed with her.
Even so, Peralta still faces charges in an unrelated incident, including discharging firearms at parked vehicles at his girlfriend’s home in Northeast Albuquerque. No trial date is yet scheduled for charges, including shooting from a motor vehicle and damaging property.
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