Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) – A man convicted of shooting a woman in the head at a Southeast Albuquerque apartment complex has been sentenced to life in prison. Houston Coate was found guilty in April of First Degree Murder for the fatal shooting of Barbara Chavez in August of 2024. The shooting happened in an apartment complex on the 1000 block of Valencia Drive SE.
According to court records, Coate went to Chavez’s apartment, demanding his belongings. When the situation escalated, he fired several shots into the apartment.Chavez was shot in the head and was killed instantly.
Coate will not be eligible for parole for at least 30 years.
