A Third Judicial District Court judge in Las Cruces has split the Young Park mass shooting case into four separate trials, pushing a string of felony proceedings into early 2026. The defendants, Tomas Rivas, Nathan Rivas, Gustavo Dominguez, and Josiah Ontiveros, each face three counts of first‑degree murder in the March attack that killed three teenagers and injured 15 others. The move follows months of pretrial jockeying and will reshape how both sides present witnesses and physical evidence.
Judge Douglas Driggers granted defense requests to sever the cases and put lawyers on notice about timing, saying, “This is a firm trial setting. There will be no continuances,” according to Las Cruces Sun-News. The ruling breaks up what had been a joined case, requiring separate juries and evidence presentations for each defendant, a setup defense teams had sought to avoid clashing strategies in a single courtroom.
The first trial, for Tomas Rivas, is slated to start February 9, 2026, and is expected to last about seven days, KVIA reported. Prosecutors have uploaded thousands of pieces of evidence and listed more than 140 witnesses, signaling a complex battle over forensic and eyewitness accounts. The case has been placed on a track that gives both sides additional prep time due to the volume of testimony and exhibits.
After Rivas, the calendar lists Nathan Rivas on February 19, Gustavo Dominguez on March 5, and Josiah Ontiveros on March 31, 2026, with each trial expected to span roughly a week, according to Las Cruces Sun-News. The court said it wants a jury pool of about 500 people for the first two trials and will mail roughly 1,800 jury questionnaires by the end of November to help build that panel. All four defendants are due in court together for a motion hearing on November 21 as pretrial fights continue.
The shooting unfolded on March 21 during an unauthorized car show at Young Park, leaving three teenagers dead and 15 people wounded, officials said in a City of Las Cruces press release. The city identified the victims as Andrew Madrid, 16; Jason Gomez, 18; and Dominick Estrada, 19, and said local police worked with state and federal partners on the investigation, including the FBI and ATF. National coverage and AP News documented a chaotic scene with dozens of shell casings as investigators collected video and witness statements to piece together what happened.
All four defendants have been indicted on three counts of first‑degree murder, according to AP News. Prosecutors say the case leans on extensive physical evidence and multiple eyewitnesses. The staggered, separate trials are intended to sidestep complications that can crop up in joint proceedings, local reporting notes.
