The case of a Farmington man accused of assaulting a woman and killing a man in a downtown parking lot is moving forward, his attorney told the 11th Judicial District Court on Monday.
Ames Begay, 42, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree aggravated battery and third-degree tampering with evidence in connection with to the April 2, 2025, killing of Kenneth Bill, 68, and the battery of Tanya Romero.
Begay has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2017, including convictions of battery on a peace officer and arson.
In 2025, he was arrested and released two times before allegedly smashing Bill’s head with a river rock and striking Romero’s head with a glass bottle.
The first arrest was March 26, 2025, when Begay was charged with battery on a peace officer and criminal trespass, for which he was released into pretrial services.
The second arrest was April 3, 2025, when Begay was charged with battery and criminal damage to property. The San Juan County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion for pretrial detention hold, but Magistrate Stacey Biel released the man into pretrial services.
A warrant for his arrest in connection to the homicide had not yet been filed in court, as the investigation was not completed by the Farmington Police Department.
Begay was arrested April 10, 2025, and charged with the murder.
He was assessed for competency, and was found competent to stand trial so the case is now moving through the court system.
“We hired an investigator. We’re working out the interviews,” said Thomas Walker, an Albuquerque-based defense attorney. “The case is moving forward and is likely to be a trial at this time.”
Walker estimated the trial would take up to five days.
District Judge Curtis Gurley asked if it was a “complicated” case.
“Not terribly your honor,” Clark said.
Judge Gurley asked how many witnesses there would be.
“The majority of our witnesses would be law enforcement officers,” Deputy District Attorney Terry Walker told the court, adding they will have a better idea after the pretrial interviews are completed.
“I don’t usually set murder cases until all the discovery is done,” Judge Gurley said.
He ordered Begay to appear Sept. 21 for a status conference.