A federal grand jury has indicted Sheliky Sanchez, 18, of Albuquerque, on charges related to a carjacking and kidnapping that ended in a fatal shooting on August 7, 2025. The indictment includes counts of carjacking resulting in death, using a firearm during a violent crime and causing death by firing it, and kidnapping resulting in death. Each charge is eligible for the federal death penalty.
Court documents state that Sanchez allegedly used a firearm to carjack and kidnap the driver of a 2022 Ford Escape before intentionally killing the driver during the commission of these crimes. Sanchez will remain in custody pending trial. No trial date has been set.
If convicted of kidnapping resulting in death, Sanchez faces either a mandatory life sentence or the death penalty. The charges of carjacking resulting in death and causing death through use of a firearm during a violent crime also carry potential sentences ranging from any term up to life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, announced the indictment. The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack E. Burkhead and Samuel Hurtado are prosecuting the case.
“An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
