ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque Police have arrested a man accused of beating another to death outside of Hope Village in Downtown Albuquerque. New Mexico Probation and Parole collaborated on the arrest.
Police say Jose Gracia, who uses a wheelchair, engaged with the victim on February 28. Witnesses say and surveillance video shows Gracia grabbed the victim, Mark Lavine, struck him, and beat him several times after Lavine had fallen to the ground, police say.
When rescue crews arrived, they found Lavine unconscious and unresponsive, police say. He was taken to a hospital but died on March 16. The Albuquerque Police Department says the injuries from the February incident resulted in Lavine’s death.
Gracia is facing a murder allegation for the incident. The criminal complaint filed in metro court reveals Gracia had been banned from HopeWorks, which provides services to unhoused individuals in New Mexico, including at Hope Village, where the incident took place. Witnesses quoted by police in that document claim the incident may have been sparked by a dispute over a dog.
