Second arrest made in Grants murder case

By Jim Tiffin
Staff Writer

GRANTS — A second arrest in the Valentine's Day death of Emma Charlie at 425 Nimitz Dr. here, has been made by Grants Police.

Justin Sandoval, 21, who has an address listed as a post office box in Prewitt, was booked into Cibola County Detention Center Friday on one count each of murder (open count), attempted murder and tampering with evidence.

He is currently in custody without bond, awaiting a first appearance before a Cibola County Magistrate.

As of Friday, the first person arrested in the case, Alex Vandever, 18, of 112 E. Lincoln Ave., Grants, had not yet been before a judge, a Magistrate Clerk's office employee said. He remains in CCDC on a no-bond hold.

Sandoval's charges are identical to those of Vandever, although Magistrate Court records state Vandever told police he saw Sandoval stab Charlie in the shoulder at least twice about 11:17 p.m., Valentine's Day.

Court records state: Vandever, Sandoval, and two other friends had gone to the residence on Nimitz to harass a male who was living there.

When they were told the person they were seeking was not present, they began fighting with Charlie and Marquez Antonio, who suffered two stab wounds to the abdomen.

Both Charlie and Antonio were transported to Cibola General Hospital where Charlie died and Antonio was admitted for treatment.

The tampering with evidence charge stems from Sandoval allegedly giving Vandever a bloody pocketknife used in the stabbings, and told him to get rid of it when they got into a blue or purple Dodge Neon and drove away following the fight.

The pocketknife and bloody clothing was found in Vandever's sister's closet in her apartment at 112 E. Lincoln Ave. the next morning by detectives.

There are two more suspects being sought for questioning in the case, one of them a juvenile. The public is asked to contact Grants police detectives at 287-4404 or call CrimeStoppers at 287-8400.

— To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin@blackmesa-isp.net.