Convicted killer now wanted for vehicular homicide
Note: This article has been updated to clarify that Aneas Price was a bystander in the 2018 shooting. He was not involved in gang activity.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque police say a convicted murderer is wanted again – this time for allegedly killing a woman with his car.
Police say 23-year-old Kalani Hodges has been connected to investigations that have left victims blind, paralyzed, and shot to death.
“I never would have thought I ever would’ve graduated, you know,” said Aneas Price, one of Hodges’ victims.
Price was shot in the head in 2018. Police say he was a bystander caught in the crossfire of what they think was gang retaliation by Hodges. Price had to learn how to live blindly after his optical nerve was severed.
Price was one of three victims in a string of shootings in 2018, where police say a group of suspects set up drug deals to rob buyers. That investigation led police to Hodges, who was 16 at the time.
Hodges was convicted of murder for shooting and killing another victim, Adrian Martinez, in one of those setups.
Hodges also faced a charge in another drug deal setup that year. Court documents show that victim was shot multiple times and paralyzed.
Hodges was sentenced as a juvenile and served two-and-a-half years in juvenile detention.
In 2022, Hodges was released. While he was out, police say Hodges had another serious run-in with the law. On Halloween weekend, court documents say he was driving drunk when he crashed into 71-year-old Nena Johnson’s vehicle.
According to her GoFundMe page, she died blocks from her home. The crash happened at Coors and St. Joseph’s.
Police said that data retrieved from Hodge’s car shows he was going over 90 mph when he crashed into Johnson, killing her.
Witnesses told police that Hodges was seen running from the crash afterward.
One of Hodge’s passengers told police they’d both been drinking heavily at a party. The witness said he drunkenly passed out during the car ride to another party and woke up in the hospital. He also said that Hodges lied and said someone stole his car while the passenger was asleep.
Police are still looking for Hodges, who is facing charges for vehicular homicide and reckless driving.
On Friday, Metro Crime Stoppers announced that Hodges is on the Metro 15. The list was created in 2019 and includes some of the worst violent offenders in the Albuquerque metro.
If you have any information about Hodges’ whereabouts, you can contact Crime Stoppers and leave a tip anonymously.