ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Gracie Gonzales has been waiting two years to get justice for her daughter’s murder.

“Until it’s all over, we’re not going to be able to have any peace,” Gonzales said.

Police say her daughter, Kayla Montano, was shot and killed after a group of teens ambushed her SUV at the Maverik gas station near I-25 and Comanche in March of 2022. Later, police said it was a case of mistaken identity and that the teens shot at the wrong vehicle.

“I was expecting maybe that it was gang-related and her vehicle just got in the way, or some kind of drug deal gone wrong,” Gonzales said. “But when I found out that they were teens, it broke my heart. Because not only did they destroy my family, not only did they take my beautiful girl away, but they destroyed their lives and their families.”

Gonzales said she hasn’t seen the outcomes in court she wants. But after talking with the district attorney’s office, she knows it may be the best she can get.

“When I found out about the Ty Gallegos plea, I was extremely upset, which I talked to him about it and I have been sending him videos and pictures of my girl, because I told him, I want you to know who you’re fighting for. This isn’t just another case,” Gonzales said.

Suspect Ty Gallegos took a plea deal and is facing up to 10 years. Another suspect, Estevan Lucero, took a plea deal Tuesday. Both pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for Montano’s death.

More than two years later, Gonzales has something to say to the five teens who changed her life forever.

“I hope that these two years have made you realize, not only did you kill an innocent person and destroyed so many lives, but the actions that you took that night, even if you had the right vehicle, are not justified,” Gonzales said.

Montano’s 7-year-old daughter was in the car when Montano was shot.

“We no longer live in Albuquerque because Kayla’s little girl couldn’t sit upright in a car, she would scooch down so far so that nobody could see her through the window, because she was terrified,” Gonzales said.

Lucero and Gallegos have not been sentenced yet. Two other suspects, Diamond Salazar and Adam Sedillo, are scheduled to be tried together this August.

A judge ruled the fifth suspect, Caprice Sicilia, could be let out of jail on conditions of release. Right now, she’s waiting for a judge to rule on a motion to sever her case from the others.

A spokesperson for the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office said they understand no plea deal will ever comfort grieving families. The plea agreements ensure the suspects – who were juveniles at the time of the crime – will be sentenced as adults. They added that there’s no mandatory prison time for juveniles if they are found guilty at trial.

Gonzales said she knows the plea deals are the best she may be able to hope for, but she’s still not happy about it.