Juan Portillo Mendez
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque Police have arrested a man accused of killing a 40-year-old in his Foothills home Monday night.
Juan Portillo Mendez, 43, was taken into custody Tuesday night in Carnuel, east of Albuquerque. Detectives with APD’s Investigative Support Unit tracked his vehicle to the East Mountains and arrested him shortly after.
Portillo Mendez is accused of killing Humberto Dominguez-Ortiz by striking him in the head with a metal object. Police say Dominguez-Ortiz had called 911 earlier in the day to report threats from Portillo Mendez, a former friend. That night, he called again to report a break-in. During the call, the dispatcher heard what sounded like a violent struggle.
Officers forced entry into the home on Fox Lane SE and found Dominguez-Ortiz with severe head trauma. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
Detectives recovered a bloodied metal pipe from the yard and obtained surveillance video showing a man leaving the scene shortly after the attack. Portillo Mendez is charged with an open count of murder and aggravated burglary.
