Paul Otero sentenced in Albuquerque murder of mother’s boyfriend

Paul Otero was sentenced in Albuquerque after he pleaded guilty on Monday to second-degree murder. A judge ordered him to serve 24.5 years in prison for the fatal shooting.

APD officers were called to a home on the 3400 block of Alpha Ave. NW. The call came in December 2024 just past 5 p.m. following reports of a shooting.

Detectives said Otero admitted taking a handgun belonging to his mother’s boyfriend. He told detectives he planned to shoot the man.

Police say Otero’s mother told them her boyfriend got upset when his gun went missing. She confronted Otero and told him to return the weapon.

She heard gunshots from the bedroom where her boyfriend stood. She ran to a neighbor’s house in Albuquerque. They called 911 to report her son shot her boyfriend.

Officers arrived and attempted lifesaving measures. The victim died at the scene. Officers found Otero in a nearby alleyway with a handgun.

A second-degree murder conviction carries mandatory prison time in New Mexico state court. Felonies require formal sentencing hearings before a judge.

Otero was taken into custody on the scene.