An Albuquerque woman accused of ordering her teenage son to open fire on her cousin's boyfriend is set to be sentenced Tuesday, facing up to 12 years in prison after pleading no contest to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder. Munah Green's case stems from a confrontation outside a Southeast Albuquerque apartment complex on the night of April 24, 2025, that left 32-year-old Richard Powell dead at the scene.
According to KOB 4, the shooting happened at an apartment on Indiana Avenue, between Bell and Trumbull, after a resident called 911 around 9 p.m. upon hearing someone banging on doors and windows. Police say Green was part of a group confronting people at the complex when an argument broke out, and that Powell came outside and told the group to leave.
During that confrontation, police allege Green turned to her then-17-year-old son, Rickey Rodgers, and told him, “Get him son, shoot him, shoot him,” according to KOB 4's reporting. Rodgers then fired several shots at Powell, according to the station. KKOB separately reports investigators' allegation that Rodgers fired additional shots after Powell had fallen to the ground.
From Open Murder Charges to a No-Contest Plea
Powell died at the scene. The shooting was reported near Zuni Road and Indiana Street.
Green and Rodgers were initially each charged with an open count of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, the article notes. That changed in September, when, as reported by newsradiokkob.com, Green pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder.
Son's Plea Came Months Earlier
Rodgers, who was also charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, pleaded no contest roughly three months before his mother did, per KOB 4. He is now scheduled for an amenability hearing, a proceeding separate from his mother's sentencing. Per newsradiokkob.com's reporting, Rodgers entered his no-contest plea and is awaiting that amenability hearing in October, the same month Green is scheduled to be sentenced.
A judge is expected to sentence Green on Tuesday at 9 a.m., according to KOB 4's report. The exact terms of any plea agreement, and what sentence the judge may ultimately hand down, were not detailed in available court records or news accounts.
