ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A man is facing the death penalty after being accused of shooting and killing an Uber driver. He told police that he was trying to blow off steam, and we are now hearing his interview with officers after his arrest.
In his interview, 18-year-old Sheliky Sanchez Jr. admitted that shooting the man was his way of coping with stress. He says, “It just seemed so easy. He wasn’t even looking at me. He was just facing forward.”
In August, Albuquerque police responded to a shooting in southwest Albuquerque, where they found Joseph Andrus, an Uber driver, who had been shot and killed. According to authorities, Sanchez Jr. had his girlfriend order an Uber, specifically selecting Andrus as his driver after scrolling and looking at other drivers. After being picked up, Andrus drove Sanchez Jr. to a random location near Central and Coors. Police say that Sanchez Jr. then shot and killed Andrus before stealing his car. He was arrested the following day.
During the police interrogation, Sanchez Jr. expressed that he was stressed with life and needed an outlet. “I wasn’t myself, I guess. I don’t know. I seen the car, I seen how easy it looked. And I just wanted. I don’t know what the **** I wanted,” Sanchez states during the interview.
He also claimed that he had shot and killed people in the past, but has not faced charges for those incidents.
Sanchez Jr. was facing a state murder charge, but they have since been dropped as he now faces federal charges for carjacking resulting in death, using a firearm resulting in death, and kidnapping resulting in death. A trial date for his federal case has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, he could face a mandatory life sentence in prison or even the death penalty.
