⏱ 3 min read
A string of deadly armed robberies and carjackings terrorized New Mexico in the summer of 2024. Zachary Babitz, 40, was behind the wheel, leaving a trail of destruction and death in his wake. On July 30, Babitz burst into an AutoZone in Albuquerque, brandishing a 9mm handgun and making off with $345. Just a day later, he robbed a Wells Fargo bank in Albuquerque, netting $3,300.
The brazen robberies continued with a Jersey Mike’s restaurant in Albuquerque being hit on August 3. But it was on August 6 that Babitz committed the ultimate crime – a carjacking that turned fatal in Santa Fe County. The victim’s life was cut short after Babitz confronted him with a firearm.
Babitz’s violent conduct didn’t cease there. On August 9, he carried out another carjacking in Bernalillo County. Two days later, he and an accomplice robbed an Arby’s restaurant at gunpoint in Las Cruces, followed by another armed carjacking.
Babitz pleaded guilty to multiple counts, including interference with commerce by robbery, bank robbery, carjacking resulting in death, and using a firearm during a crime of violence. His guilty plea brings an end to a bloody crime spree that shook the state of New Mexico.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: carjacking
- Location: NM
- Source: DOJ Press Release
