Woman accused of killing Santa Fe firefighter appears in court

SANTA FE, N.M. — Police have made an arrest in the case of a Santa Fe firefighter found dead at an Albuquerque apartment complex three years ago.

32-year-old Chrystyne Sanchez was indicted in late December. 

Body cam video shows the moment Sanchez was arrested, accused of leading Santa Fe police on a chase following an armed robbery at a Home Depot.

Months later, court documents show she’s also charged with murder.

A grand jury indicted Sanchez on Dec. 2, charging her with first-degree murder for the death of a Santa Fe firefighter at a northeast Albuquerque apartment complex back in 2019.   

Christopher Reid was found dead at the Chateau apartments near San Mateo and Osuna. At the time, police said it was following a domestic dispute.

A Facebook post from the Santa Fe Fire Department after his death revealed he was with a Wildland Firefighting Crew.

Court documents do not reveal what tied Sanchez to Reid’s death.

On Tuesday, Sanchez appeared in court for the first time on the murder charge remotely from the Santa Fe County jail.

“At this time we’re going to enter a plea of not guilty,” said the defense attorney. 

Prosecutors have filed a motion for pretrial detention, asking to keep her in jail pending trial.