A teenager in New Mexico is facing serious charges after he allegedly killed an Uber driver and was reportedly seen laughing during his arrest.
Sheliky Sanchez, who is 18, was taken into custody at his girlfriend’s residence in Albuquerque early Thursday morning. He’s been charged with murder, armed robbery, and tampering with evidence.
Prior to the incident, Sanchez had asked his unconscious girlfriend to call for an Uber around 1 a.m. According to statements, when the ride was unexpectedly halted, Uber reached out to his girlfriend to check on them.
She got in touch with Sanchez, who assured her he was fine.
However, by about 3 a.m., the body of Uber driver Joseph Andrus was discovered on the roadside, clearly the victim of gunfire. Andrus’s vehicle, a black Ford Escape, was missing.
Sanchez is accused of stealing the car after the murder and driving it back to his girlfriend’s place.
During police questioning, Sanchez claimed he had slept through the night and hadn’t used Uber, suggesting instead that he was influenced by friends.
He further stated that he had purchased the Ford with cash from someone else, insisting it didn’t belong to the deceased driver.
As investigators probed deeper, Sanchez eventually admitted to having shot Andrus, mentioning that he did so as a way to ‘release steam.’ Apparently, the stress had built up, and he viewed the victim as an easy target.
Sanchez explained to officers that he had gone through multiple ride-sharing apps before settling on the choice of Andrus as a driver.
He allegedly fired several shots, leaving Andrus bleeding on the ground, and upon arriving at a random location, ordered him out of the car.
Sanchez expressed to police that Andrus seemed like a decent person, and while he didn’t want to target anyone in particular, he felt an odd sense of relief after the incident—like a weight had been lifted, although he felt regret about the situation. It’s complicated, I guess.
Currently, Sanchez is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
