An unsolved homicide became the subject of a sentencing hearing Tuesday in District Judge Daylene Marsh’s courtroom.
Defense Attorney Tyson Quail named the man he believes to be responsible in the March 23 shooting death of Ariana Rosas, 18, in the parking lot of Animas Valley Mall.
Quail said the “alleged victim,” who survived the shooting, Vincent Amato, is a known drug dealer, and is the person who caused Rosas’ death.
“Amato is responsible for an incident behind the mall, where a woman got shot and died,” Quail said. “Vincent Amato is hiding out in Denver because the person who shot him wants to finish the job.”
Quail said Amato appears to the be the alleged victim, “where things always go wrong when he is making a drug deal.”
According to early reports from Farmington Police Department, Rosas and an unidentified male were in a parked vehicle on the mall’s south side, when they were shot. Rosas was pronounced dead at the scene and the male was shot in the arm.
Police have repeatedly said they have no suspect, and Quail is claiming Amato was the man shot in the arm.
The reason Quail brought this up in open court was to protect his client Ian Perez, who was facing jail time for an unrelated incident. Perez previously pleaded no contest to attempted armed robbery, possession of a controlled substance and aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer. Both are in connection to an incident in October 2022.
Quail told the court Vincent Amato was also involved in this incident. He reportedly told Farmington police that a girl from Cortez reached out to them to meet up, but the statement was “false,” Quail said.
“Amato is a drug trafficker Perez showed up to buy cocaine from,” he said.
Quail was seeking probation for Perez, who had a 2022 conviction for misdemeanor theft out of Cortez.
Perez was in the San Juan County Detention Center for 245 days and told the court he learned a lot while being in custody. “I’ve seen everything I don’t want to be while in here,” he said, adding he has a 8-month-old child and wants to be a part of its life.
Judge Marsh sentenced Perez to six years in the Department of Corrections and then, suspended the sentenced placing Perez on six years supervised probation. If Perez violates his probation he could face time in prison.
When asked for and update on the mall shooting from Farmington Police, the department’s Public Information Officer Shanice Gonzales said, “The incident is still under investigation.”
This article was updated to correct the spelling of Amado to Amato.
