Suspect in hotel homicide to remain in jail until trial

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A man who allegedly shot and killed a hotel security guard, stole a car and then got into a shootout with officers faced a judge Tuesday.

Prosecutors say there’s no shortage of reasons to keep Donovan Bookout behind bars. They say the details of this case alone should be evidence enough to prove Bookout is a danger to the community. But it was his lengthy, violent criminal history that convinced a judge to keep him locked up.

Bookout appeared virtually from MDC for his detention hearing Tuesday, just one week after Albuquerque police say he shot and killed Daniel Mora, a security guard at the Ambassador Inn on Candelaria Road.

"This defendant absolutely poses a danger to the community, and there are no release conditions that the court can fashion to protect the safety of the community," said Jolanna Macias, prosecutor.

The state’s prosecutor walked through the entire timeline, starting with the hotel shooting and then an armed carjacking just down the street. She also brought up a different incident – just one month earlier – when police say Bookout shot someone at a different hotel.

"These crimes were perpetrated on random, innocent members of the community,” said Macias.

Bookout’s defense acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations but argued they could be mitigated with strict conditions of release, including mental health treatment. Second Judicial District Court Judge Britt Baca-Miller did not agree.

"I am going to grant the state’s motion for pretrial detention," said Baca-Miller.

A public safety assessment recommended Bookout be released. The judge believes that’s because he does not have any violent convictions, but says the evidence against him is enough to say otherwise.

"I can’t think of any conditions of release that I could fashion that could adequately monitor Mr. Bookout’s actions to make sure he is not violent," Baca-Miller said.

Bookout’s public defender did bring up a prior case from 2015 that was dismissed for lack of competency. It was not part of her argument to release him from jail, but she believes it could be an issue moving forward.