Driver says he thought rock hit car in fatal hit-and-run
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Report: Lawyer admits to drinking at blues club, says other patrons became hostile toward him, police sergeant
12/2/2008 - 12/3/08
The politically connected lawyer who allegedly struck and killed a San Felipe Pueblo man last week told police he thought someone had thrown a rock at his car when he hit the man, according to court documents.Carlos William Fierro also admitted to detectives that he and state police Sgt. Alfred Lovato had been drinking at WilLee's Blues Club not long before the 2 a.m. accident that killed William Tenorio, 46, according to a search warrant for Fierro's black BMW 540i filed Monday in state District Court.
The 36-year-old Fierro — who formerly worked for U.S. Rep. Tom Udall and U.S. Sen. John McCain in Washington, D.C. — told police he and Lovato left WilLee's early Wednesday morning "because they were being threatened by some other patrons," according to the warrant written by Detective Charles Otero.
Fierro and Lovato — a member of Gov. Bill Richardson's security detail — then drove to Allsups, 301 N. Guadalupe St., to buy some food. However, when he went to pay for the food, Fierro realized he'd left his credit card at WilLee's, the warrant says. The two bought the food — Cheetos Hot Fries, Dannon yogurt and an empty bag of sour cream and onion potato chips were found in the car — and headed back to WilLee's to pick up the credit card.
"As they approached WilLee's Bar, he noticed a number of people on the sidewalk yelling profanities at them," the warrant states. "He thought that these people were possibly the people who had been threatening them earlier. He then heard a loud crashing noise and saw the windshield crack. He thought that one of the persons along the sidewalk had thrown a rock or some other object at his vehicle striking the windshield. He then decided to drive out of the area for their safety."
Tenorio's body was left in the road in front of WilLee's, the warrant says. Tenorio — a local disc jockey and father of three — died the next day from neck and head trauma at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.
Santa Fe Deputy Police Chief Aric Wheeler said Tuesday that one of the stories investigators first heard was about a conflict inside WilLee's. However, numerous witnesses have been interviewed since then, and none have confirmed any conflict involving Fierro and Lovato at WilLee's, he said.
Rather, witnesses outside the bar who saw the accident have generally said they saw the black BMW heading south on Guadalupe Street at a high rate of speed with flat tires and no headlights, Wheeler said. The vehicle struck Tenorio, who went into the passenger side of the windshield, rolled along the side of the car and likely slid off the rear bumper, he said.
Tenorio's driver's license listed him as 6 feet tall, 215 pounds, Wheeler said. The car had significant damage on the passenger side and two flat tires on the driver's side.
State police crime scene technicians discovered blood along the passenger side of the car as well as black fibers — which could have been hair — from the windshield, the warrant says. In addition, they found an empty Coors Light beer can in the glove box and a MasterCard on the passenger-side floorboard, according to the warrant.
The owner of the credit card told police he lost the card a week ago after employees at a downtown bar accidentally gave it to the wrong person, Wheeler said. The man said he didn't know either Lovato or Fierro, Wheeler said. Police found the week-old report in which the man reported the card missing, he said.
Lovato had blood on the front of his clothing when officers pulled the BMW over on Marcy Street in front of the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, the warrant states. Wheeler said he didn't know if the blood was Tenorio's, though neither Lovato nor Fierro had any obvious injuries after the crash, he said.
Witnesses have also reported seeing Fierro and Lovato at the Rio Chama Steakhouse downtown the night of the accident, Wheeler said. Detectives are still following up on that lead, he said.
Finally, one witness reported possibly seeing three people in the BMW at the time of the accident, Wheeler said. One person who commented on The New Mexican's Web site on Tuesday said the same thing. Wheeler said investigators have come across no information that indicates a third person was in the car. "It's just rumors at this point," he said.
Fierro posted a $250,000 property bond Monday evening and was released from Santa Fe County jail. Lovato has been interviewed by investigators but has not been charged in connection with the case.
Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or :jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.
