Argument over which tortilla was spicier ends in murder, 22-year-old shoots cousin

A dinner accompanied by alcohol in New Mexico, USA, ended tragically after a disagreement over a tortilla and hot sauce.

Ervin Joaquin Gutierrez, 22, was arrested on charges of killing his 25-year-old cousin, Nathaniel Cavazos. The incident allegedly occurred following a conflict at an apartment in Albuquerque.

Investigative documents show that Gutierrez had gone there that afternoon to meet Cavazos and another cousin. After buying food, the three returned to the apartment, where they began preparing green chile enchiladas and drinking alcohol, according to media reports.

The situation suddenly changed during dinner, when Gutierrez insisted that the sauce poured over his tortilla was much spicier than the one on Cavazos’ plate.

The 22-year-old went so far as to ask his cousin to taste his food.

Cavazos replied that the tortillas they were eating were the same for everyone and that, in his view, the taste could not be different.

The verbal confrontation continued even after they left the table. As tensions mounted, one of the cousins suggested taking the dog for a walk, hoping this would calm the situation.

However, as soon as they left the apartment, Gutierrez and Cavazos began fighting physically.

The third cousin testified that Cavazos struck Gutierrez several times, leaving him bleeding, and then walked away.

Investigators say that it was at that moment that Gutierrez pulled out a firearm.

Before allegedly shooting at Cavazos three or four times, the 22-year-old is said to have told him: “We’re family! We’re family! How could you do this to me?”

At around 11:00 p.m., police arrived at the scene and found the 25-year-old dead. His body was lying in a pool of blood on a walkway between buildings in the apartment complex.

Authorities also found a firearm near the victim, which they said belonged to Cavazos.

Gutierrez left the area after the shooting. During the investigation, authorities also discovered a message he had sent on Snapchat, in which he claimed that his cousin had threatened to kill him.

“Is he really dead? I didn’t want to kill him, but I didn’t want him to kill me,” the 22-year-old allegedly wrote.

Gutierrez was arrested on Friday evening. He was taken to the Bernalillo County Detention Center and now faces a murder charge.