“To Law Enforcement this needs to be very clear. My wife had absolutely no clue as to what I planned or am about to do. These were my decisions, and I hid them from her signed this day 8-1-24 10:55am Zachary Babitz.”
Those were the words federal officials found on a note alongside Zachary Babitz’s electronic ankle bracelet in his Edgewood home before absconding from federal probation, federal authorities said. Five days later, the fugitive also became a suspect in the carjacking and killing of an 83-year-old Santa Fe man.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) in Albuquerque, Santa Fe Police responded to a carjacking call at a Best Buy on Zafarano Road the morning of Aug. 6.
“Upon arrival, officers found a male victim with a gunshot wound to the chest. Despite life-saving efforts by medics, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene,” the office said in a statement.
Several witnesses and nearby businesses provided cellphone and surveillance video which helped law enforcement identify the suspect who had fled in the victim’s SUV.
Babitz was apprehended in Las Cruces on Aug. 10.
The victim has been identified as 83-year-old Gordon Peter Wilson of Santa Fe.
According to the USAO, “Babitz has a history of felony convictions, including armed robbery and carjacking, and was released from prison in March 2024.” He is being held without release pending trial.