The NM mail carrier was trying to defuse a heated argument between a mother and son when the 17-year-old shot him
- Four years ago, a 17-teen-year old son fatally shot a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier as he was making deliveries in New Mexico.
- The USPS worker was shot in the stomach when he spotted a heated argument between the son and his mother and tried to defuse the situation.
- The teenager, now an adult, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.
An Albuquerque man convicted in the 2019 shooting death of a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier has been sentenced to 22 years in prison, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico said Xavier Zamora received the sentence more than a year after pleading guilty to second-degree murder of a federal employee.
He also pleaded guilty to using a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death.
TEEN ARRESTED IN KILLING OF MAIL CARRIER IN NEW MEXICO
According to prosecutors, Jose Hernandez was delivering the mail when he saw Zamora, who was 17 at the time, arguing with his mother outside her home.
Hernandez tried to diffuse the dispute.
Xavier Zamora, who shot a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier in the stomach, has been sentenced to prison in New Mexico.
Authorities say that's when Zamora struck and pushed Hernandez. The teen then retrieved a gun from the house and shot the mail carrier in the stomach.
Hernandez died 20 minutes later.
Zamora was found hiding in a nearby home a few days later.
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The gun he used was never found, according to court documents.
Hernandez had been with the Postal Service for 12 years. He was also a husband and father of four.
