Third person seriously injured
Michael H. Milane-Baca was arrested Feb. 25 for an incident on May 14, 2019, in which Patrick Diaz and Richard Lovato were killed and Rigina Johns was seriously injured.
Milane-Baca was under the influence of alcohol while driving a green Cadillac Escalade westbound on Highway 66 in Gallup. Diaz, Lovato, and Johns were passengers in the vehicle. It is estimated that Milane-Baca was traveling at approximately 85 miles per hour in a 35 mile-per-hour speed zone, when he allegedly intentionally maneuvered the vehicle off the highway and crashed head-on into a concrete embankment.
The crash took place on the west side of Gallup at the Interstate 40 interchange, near mile marker 16. Diaz and Lovato were killed upon impact.
Johns required extrication by rescue personnel and emergency medical treatment in Albuquerque.
Milane-Baca had been receiving medical care for his injuries until Feb. 25 when he was booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center.
He is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, a second degree felony, and causing great bodily harm by vehicle, a third degree felony. He is being held without bond.
Charges against Milane-Baca date back to May of 1993 and include robbery, evidence tampering, forgery, drug trafficking, DWI, selling alcohol to a minor, speeding, regulated drug possession, receiving or transferring stolen property, through December 2011. New Mexico Courts show nothing after that date until the May 14, 2019 crash.
