New Mexico State Police officers investigated a fatal car crash on I-40 near Gallup Aug. 29. A woman from California, Raina Lopez, died in the crash. Her vehicle was towed from the scene by a Gallup tow company.
In early September 2016, New Mexico State Police officers received a call from Lopez's family in California. They stated someone had been using Ms. Lopez's credit cards at various locations in Gallup after she died.
NMSP officers conducted an extensive investigation revealing that two suspects, Bryan D. Burrola, 40, and Amy M. Lucero, 36, both of Gallup, were the ones who used Lopez's credit cards after her death. Both suspects lived together in a motor home on the property of the tow company that had towed Ms. Lopez's car. Bryan D. Burrola was an employee of that tow company at the time of Lopez's crash.
The suspects used the credit cards to purchase over $3,000 worth of items, including new tires, auto parts, and cell phones. NMSP officers obtained a warrant for a search on Sept. 15, and Amy M. Lucero was found to be in possession of one of Lopez's credit cards on that date.
Both suspects were charged with numerous crimes including credit card fraud and possession of a stolen credit card. NMSP officers arrested both in Gallup on the morning of Oct. 19.
When officers arrested Mr. Burrola, they discovered he was also a sex offender and had recently moved without updating his address. That same date the McKinley County Sheriff's Department charged him with failing to register as a sex offender.
Officers from the New Mexico State Police Uniform Bureau in Gallup handled this entire investigation.
