ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It may seem like more criminals are getting plea deals. Some people feel like justice isn’t being served that way. 

KOB 4 spoke with the Bernalillo County district attorney to ask why plea deals are given instead of going to trial. 

“At this point, I think I’ve cried every single tear that’s left in my body,” said Nanette Andazola, Jayden Vallez’s mother. 

On Monday, Andazola’s son should have been celebrating his 21 birthday. Instead, Andazola was receiving bad news about her son Vallez’s murder case.

In 2021, he was shot to death in the Longhorn Steakhouse parking lot by Coronado Mall. Andazola has been fighting for justice for her son since then.

“Getting justice for Jayden has been hard, every single day is a fight, I feel like that’s what I’m constantly doing, always fighting. Fighting for someone to see us, fighting for it to be recognized, for something to be done,” said Andazola. 

In 2023, Angel Chavez was arrested in connection to the murder. He was 16 at the time of the shooting and 18 when he was arrested.

Now, Andazola says she was told there’s a chance Chavez could get a plea deal, and she’s not happy.

 “I was willing to take the chance from the start. I said I would like to go to trial,” said Andazola. 

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman says he knows families like Andazola’s can feel unheard in these cases. He says his office always tries to get the best justice they can. 

“From time to time, we see families who are very frustrated because of what possible plea we enter into. Even though we believe it’s in the best interest of justice. Justice doesn’t always mean going to trial by the way, justice means the best possible result we can get,” said Bregman.  

We asked the DA why plea deals are made instead of taking the risk of going to trial.

“Sometimes the evidence isn’t as good at the time leading up to trials as when they’re originally charged. Sometimes the credibility of witnesses comes into play, sometimes witnesses go missing. So we always strive to get the most justice we can, no matter what we get,” Bregman said. 

Andazola says it can feel like the DA’s office isn’t compassionate enough to victim’s families, but Bregman says every case he gets impacts him. 

“It is eye opening, it is shocking, it is sad, it is very very sad. But I do appreciate the fact that every human life is precious life and the idea when the family comes in, they’ve had such a tragedy happen to them, they come, and they look to our office in many ways to make things alright. Sometimes we can do justice to a certain extent, but we’ll never be able to make things completely alright,” said Bregman. 

Andazola and her family say even after this setback, they will never stop sharing Vallez with the world.

“Jayden was amazing. He was my person, he was my protector, he was my twin. He was my everything,” said Andazola. 

Bregman says no matter what the outcome is, whether it’s a conviction at trial or a plea deal. The sad truth to this type of crime is nothing can bring back their loved one.