Quarterly report records DWI-influenced wrecks
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Records cover November 2007 through January 2008
5/5/2008 - 5/6/08
Dixon resident Jerry Muniz was a ninth-grader in 2000, when he posted a note on Geneology.com looking for relatives.He found a few in Santa Fe, including some uncles. But they lost each other again Jan. 5 when Muniz, 23, died in a one-car accident on N.M. 75 near Dixon, according to state police. He died while being transported from the car he drove after apparently drinking alcohol, according to his older brother Steve Muniz. A cousin who was with him survived the accident.
Muniz is among 42 people who died in New Mexico in DWI-related vehicle crashes from Nov. 1, 2007, to Jan. 31, 2008, according to records provided by the New Mexico Department of Transportation. The New Mexican is periodically publishing quarterly reports of fatal car crashes related to DWI. The list may not include DWI-related fatalities on tribal lands. New Mexico has made strides in tackling the DWI problem with a Drunk Buster hot line, stiffer penalties for repeat offenders and ignition interlock laws. The list below is a reminder of the ongoing human cost of DWI.
Steve Muniz said his little brother grew up in Dixon, was well-liked in the community and worked at Siete del Norte, caring for elderly people. He enjoyed taking them to doctor's appointments, to the store or to the laundry.
"The older people miss him," Steve Muniz said. "Some of them still ask for him. They don't understand he won't be coming back."
Steve Muniz said he doesn't think his brother had a drinking problem. "He just overdid it one night and it cost him his life."
The youngest person to die in a DWI-related accident during the Nov. 1 to Jan. 31 period was 2-year-old Tyrica Enrico of McKinley County. Three young men — Jonas Atole, 18, Patrick Fernandez, 29, and Rondell Valdez, 19 — all died Nov. 12 in Rio Arriba County in a DWI-related crash. No DWI-related crash deaths were listed in Santa Fe County for the period.
Quarter: Nov. 1, 2007, to Jan. 31, 2008
Nov. 1, Francis Romero, 24, Valencia County
Nov. 4, Jorge Reyes, 27, Lincoln County
Nov. 4, Christopher Osborne, 18, Lincoln County
Nov. 4, Maria Herrera, 21, Lincoln County
Nov. 5, Daniel Emig, 54, Lea County
Nov. 6, Tommy Carrillo, 44, McKinley County
Nov. 7, Alfonso Diaz, 37, Cibola County
Nov. 10, Mary Sandoval, 56, Doña Ana County
Nov. 10, Freddie Garcia, 45, Bernalillo County
Nov. 12, Jonas Atole, 18, Rio Arriba County
Nov. 12, Patrick Fernandez, 29, Rio Arriba County
Nov. 12, Rondell Valdez, 19, Rio Arriba County
Nov. 15, Donald Snaza, 65, Guadalupe County
Nov. 15, Lawanda Charley, McKinley County
Nov. 17, Leigh Koenig, 43, Lincoln County
Nov. 17, Luis Ricarte, 27, Cibola County
Nov. 21, Tyrica Enrico, 2, McKinley County
Nov. 21, Leanna Antonio, 24, McKinley County
Nov. 21, John Ulibarri, 51, Socorro County
Nov. 25, Steven Ernst, 53, Luna County
Dec. 1, Alicia Llamas, 27, Lea County
Dec. 3, Cecil Irving, 52, McKinley County
Dec. 5, Raymond Malone, Bernalillo County
Dec. 5, Rick Carr, 56, Sierra County
Dec. 7, Chris Marquez, 19, Rio Arriba County
Dec. 8, Anthony Baca, 53, Bernalillo County
Dec. 11, Rudy Jake, 27, Sandoval County
Dec. 26, Richard Holguin, 27, Doña Ana County
Dec. 27, Paul Szachitowski, 35, Taos County
Dec. 30, Kristi Portmore, 41, Torrance County
Jan. 1, Juan Gutierrez-Poras, 37, Roosevelt County
Jan. 1, Marvin Garcia, 44, Bernalillo County
Jan. 1, Josephine Laweka, 47, Bernalillo County
Jan. 5, Jerry Muniz, 23, Rio Arriba County
Jan. 5, Mark Garcia, 50, Sandoval County
Jan. 11, Jessica Apachito, 36, McKinley County
Jan. 12, Anthony Pettingrew, 41, McKinley County
Jan. 18, Darren Benavidez, 23, San Miguel County
Jan. 19, Brandon Platero, 24, McKinley County
Jan. 19, Sharnell Cook, 14, McKinley County
Jan. 19, Chynthia John, 20, McKinley County
