Suspect pleads no contest to fatal road rage shooting near Old Town

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A suspect accused of fatally shooting a man in an October 2021 road rage incident, near Old Town Albuquerque, pleaded no contest in the case.

Joshua Butler pleaded no contest Friday to third-degree voluntary manslaughter with a firearm enhancement.

Judge Joseph Montaño accepted the plea Friday and sentenced Joshua Butler to a maximum nine-year sentence. The sentence consists of four years in state prison and five years of probation.

His lawyer believed he had a strong defense but said Butler decided to plead no contest without admitting guilt.

Butler is accused of fatally shooting Nelson Gallegos Jr. in front of the Central Grill on Oct. 6, 2021.

Police say Gallegos was driving a minivan, with his grandson in it, when he stopped on Central while traffic was still moving. A witness said Gallegos exited the car, pulled out a piece of drywall and struck Butler’s pickup truck with it.

Butler then pulled out a gun and fatally shot Gallegos. Albuquerque police arrested him in November 2021.