Three Carlsbad residents are facing life in prison after a federal jury convicted two of them in a brutal 2019 carjacking that ended with a man gunned down in his own home. Stetson Shane Barnes, 29, of Loving, New Mexico, and Donald Alfred Busch, 33, of Carlsbad, were found guilty of carjacking resulting in death following a two-week trial in Las Cruces. The fatal incident unfolded on May 27, 2019, when the trio, joined by accomplice Jehra Lynn Hedgecock, 33, of Carlsbad, set out to steal a motorcycle belonging to the victim, identified in court records as J.S.
The group arrived at J.S.’s home in Loving in Hedgecock’s truck shortly after dark. She approached the front door, attempting to lure the victim outside, while Busch located the motorcycle under the carport and began pushing it away. When J.S. emerged, all three pointed firearms at him. Witnesses testified that Busch held the victim at gunpoint and ordered him back into the house. As Busch moved the motorcycle off the property, Barnes and Hedgecock got into the truck and began to drive away.
Then came the gunfire. Barnes opened fire from the moving truck, unloading twelve rounds into the residence. The final bullet struck and killed J.S., who was taking cover in the back room of his home. His father, on the phone with him during the attack, told jurors he heard the shots ring out and his son’s voice cut off in horror. The image of a man dying alone, pleading for help while bullets tore through his house, defined the prosecution’s case.
After the shooting, Hedgecock pulled the truck over so Barnes could assist Busch in loading the stolen motorcycle into the bed. They fled the scene. The next day, Hedgecock’s burned-out truck was discovered in a ravine outside Carlsbad. J.S.’s motorcycle was later recovered from Barnes’ property. Evidence, including shell casings, ballistics, and eyewitness testimony, tied the defendants directly to the crime.
Hedgecock had already pleaded guilty on July 22 to one count of conspiracy, one count of carjacking resulting in death, and one count of using, brandishing, and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Barnes and Busch were convicted of conspiracy to commit carjacking, carjacking resulting in death, and being felons in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Busch was additionally convicted of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
All three defendants—Barnes, Busch, and Hedgecock—remain in federal custody pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. Each faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to life in prison. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with support from the New Mexico State Police and Eddy County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Y. Armijo and Ry Ellison are prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: New Mexico
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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