ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A jury has found three men in Albuquerque, N.M., guilty of murdering two teenagers in 2018.
Stephen Goldman Jr., 23; Jimmie Atkins, 26; and Julio Almentero, 18, on Monday were found guilty of two counts each of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery of Ahmed Lateef, 14, and Collin Romero, 15, in 2018, according to The Associated Press.
Lateef and Romero were believed to have been killed in an alleged drug deal gone wrong, according to KRQE.
Both Lateef and Romero were found buried in a remote area about two weeks after they went missing in Dec. 2018, according to the AP. The remote area was located in Sandoval County, N.M. Both appeared to have been tortured prior to their murder. Lateef was shot 19 times and Romero was shot at least nine times.
Two other men involved in the case took plea deals including Stephen Goldman Sr. who was accused of burning the car which was used to move the bodies of Lateef and Romero, according to KOB-TV. Goldman Sr. did plead guilty and had been serving a four-year sentence. The other man, Anthony Argaron is currently serving a six-year sentence after pleading guilty to dumping and burying the two bodies.
Goldman Jr., Atkins and Almentero are all facing sentences of life in prison, according to KOB-TV. A sentencing date has not yet been announced.
