Background: Johncock Ave. in Albuquerque, N.M. (Google Maps). Inset: Crystal Aguilar (Metropolitan Detention Center).
A New Mexico mom allegedly let her adult sons throw a party at her house and served underage guests booze — and one of those teenagers fatally shot himself in her yard.
Crystal Aguilar, 40, was released on her own recognizance after she was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque on a charge of giving alcohol to minors. According to court documents obtained by the Albuquerque Journal, Aguilar reportedly allowed her sons to throw a party at the family home and invite 10 to 15 guests. After someone posted about the party on social media, the attendance ballooned, and several teenagers showed up on the night of May 31.
Police said in a criminal complaint that witnesses confirmed Aguilar allegedly put out a variety of alcoholic beverages that were consumed by several teenage guests, including one who brought a gun with him.
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According to police, first responders were called to the home after reports that a 19-year-old guest had shot himself in the backyard. Medical personnel determined at the scene that the fatal gunshot wound was self-inflicted, and police questioned Aguilar and her husband, who were both reportedly intoxicated.
Aguilar told police that she had just stepped outside to "hype" the young guests up when she heard the gunshot, then saw the 19-year-old fall to the ground. A woman who came to the party with the teen said that he "appeared fine" earlier that day, and had told him not to bring a gun to the party "because the mother at the party said no guns were allowed." Police said that a gun found underneath the teen's body was reported stolen.
The same woman who came with the teen told police that she witnessed Aguilar doing shots and "letting people know they were okay to drink whatever was on the table." She provided police with cellphone videos she had taken at the party that showed the teen and Aguilar drinking.
According to the complaint, the teen was intoxicated when he died. When police interviewed his brother, he told them that the teen "was not suicidal nor had depression." Police said that other guests at the party saw an Instagram video posted by the teen that night in which he said he was "sad," but that video was not seen by police. Investigators did find other Instagram videos of the teen using substances and brandishing a gun.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that Aguilar's attorney said his client had not expected so many "unknown individuals" to show up at the house that night. He pointed out that it is not against the law in New Mexico for parents to serve their own children alcohol at home.
Aguilar was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on one charge of serving alcohol to minors. She was released on her own recognizance and is due back in court on Dec. 30.
