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A 21-year-old New Mexico man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, more than one year after he shot and killed a man during an argument over reserved seats in an Albuquerque movie theater.
According to reports from local outlets KRQE, KOAT and the Albuquerque Journal, Judge Joseph Montaño sentenced Enrique Padilla to 20 years in prison on Wednesday, Feb. 12, after he pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and two counts of tampering with evidence.
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He was facing a first-degree murder trial and a possible life sentence if he had pleaded not guilty, the outlets reported.
Padilla was charged with opening fire at the Century Rio 24 theater in Albuquerque in June 2023, in a shooting that killed 52-year-old Michael Tenorio as the two men fought.
According to the Albuquerque Journal and KRQE, police said at the time of the incident that Padilla got into an argument with Tenorio after he asked the 21-year-old to move over one seat so that Tenorio, a father of four, and his wife could sit together during a screening of No Hard Feelings.
A criminal complaint obtained by the Albuquerque Journal stated that Tenorio and his wife had purchased two seats apart from each other, and a theater employee advised the couple to ask Padilla and his date to move down one seat so they could sit together.
The two couples ultimately sat down next to each other, but the sentencing memorandum obtained by the Albuquerque Journal stated that Padilla felt uncomfortable sitting next to the Tenorios and decided to leave the theater. As he and his date were leaving, Padilla said he heard the Tenorios laughing and tossed popcorn at them, per the outlet.
According to witnesses, Tenorio said, “What the hell?” and pushed Padilla into a nearby wall when the gunshots went off.
Tenorio, an army veteran, per KOAT, was hit in the chest, abdomen and leg, and he died at the scene. Padilla was also hit in the abdomen and later collapsed before being taken to a hospital, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, Padilla’s attorney Nicole Moss argued in court documents that the 21-year-old was still recovering after being shot in January 2023 and felt threatened by Tenorio.
“Enrique was still recovering from the January shooting, had limited mobility in his left arm and was still very weak from his extensive injuries,” Moss wrote, per the outlet. “While he did make a foolish decision to toss popcorn at the Tenorios as he walked away, he never expected to be violently attacked as a result.”
On Feb. 12, both Padilla and Tenorio’s family members addressed the court ahead of sentencing. The 21-year-old apologized, and Tenorio’s sister asked the judge to give him the maximum sentence.
“I am angry and hurt that Enrique Padilla used a gun to kill my brother, needlessly taking the life of Michael. Their father, husband, son, friend, brother and relative,” she said, per KRQE. “I am angry that the movie theater only had one feeble, little sign that said ‘no guns allowed.’ “
“I stand here today telling you who my husband was because I need justice for him,” Tenorio’s wife Trina added. “We need justice for him. My husband never carried a concealed weapon anywhere because he was truly a family man.”