Friends hear gunshot, then find woman dead in bedroom, cops say. Ex-boyfriend arrested

A 20-year-old was arrested after his ex-girlfriend was found dead in her apartment, New Mexico officials said.

When officers got to the Northeast Heights apartment building on Jan. 11, they found a woman, later identified as Alianna Farfan, dead in her bedroom, according to a Feb. 21 news release by Albuquerque police.

Friend staying with Farfan heard a gunshot go off in her room and kicked down the door, officials said. That’s when they found she was shot in the face.

Later police learned the suspect, identified as Alexander Ortiz, was wearing a ski mask and left the apartment through the window after the shooting, officers said.

Friends told detectives Farfan had been in an abusive relationship with Ortiz and that he was upset with her that day, officials said. Farfan asked her friends to stay with her because she “feared being alone.”

Detectives were told Ortiz frequently wore the ski mask and that it was “a big thing” for him, officials said.

McClatchy News reached out to Albuquerque police on Feb. 26 for more information and was awaiting a response.

Ortiz was arrested after a short stand-off with police, officials said.

He was arrested and booked into the Metro Detention Center on a murder charge, officers said.

This story was originally published February 26, 2024 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Friends hear gunshot, then find woman dead in bedroom, cops say. Ex-boyfriend arrested."