Carlsbad Trio Convicted in Carjacking Death of J.S.

Three Carlsbad residents are staring down life behind bars after a federal jury convicted two of them in the fatal 2019 carjacking of J.S. in Loving, New Mexico. On November 12, after nearly two weeks of testimony, Stetson Shane Barnes, 29, of Loving, and Donald Alfred Busch, 33, of Carlsbad, were found guilty of carjacking resulting in death, conspiracy, and firearms charges. The third defendant, Jehra Lynn Hedgecock, 33, also of Carlsbad, had previously pleaded guilty to the same crime and related firearm charges.

The attack unfolded the night of May 27, 2019, when Hedgecock drove the trio to J.S.’s home under the guise of a social visit. Surveillance and witness testimony revealed Hedgecock knocked on the front door to lure J.S. outside while Busch moved toward a motorcycle parked under the carport. Once the victim stepped outside, all three defendants brandished firearms. Busch, holding J.S. at gunpoint, ordered him back into the house while he began pushing the stolen motorcycle off the property.

As Hedgecock and Barnes climbed into the truck and began to flee, Barnes opened fire—unleashing twelve rounds into the home. The final bullet struck J.S. in the back room as he took cover. The victim’s father testified he was on the phone with his son when he heard the shots. “He told me someone was stealing his bike,” the father said. “Then I heard the gunfire. I heard him fall.”

After the shooting, Hedgecock stopped the truck so Barnes could help Busch load the motorcycle into the bed. The group fled the scene, later abandoning Hedgecock’s truck—set ablaze in a ravine outside Carlsbad. J.S.’s motorcycle was recovered from Barnes’ property days later. Ballistics evidence tied the firearm used to Barnes, who, like Busch, is a convicted felon and therefore prohibited from possessing guns or ammunition.

Barnes and Busch were convicted of conspiracy to commit carjacking, carjacking resulting in death, and being felons in possession of firearms and ammunition. Busch also received a conviction for using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Hedgecock, who cooperated with prosecutors, admitted to conspiracy, carjacking resulting in death, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. All three remain in federal custody pending sentencing.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation, with support from the New Mexico State Police and Eddy County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Ry Ellison prosecuted the case. The maximum statutory penalty for each defendant is up to life in prison. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.