Mar. 7—Abram Martinez pleaded guilty Tuesday to a count of first-degree felony murder in the robbery and fatal shooting of 19-year-old Isaiah Herrera, but he did not admit he was the one responsible for the February 2021 killing in a Nambé neighborhood.

Ryan Villa, an attorney for 19-year-old Martinez — who was 17 at the time of Herrera's death — said in a plea hearing in state District Court his client conspired with other teens to rob Herrera during a marijuana transaction around Feb. 4, 2021, and Herrera was killed during the incident. However, Villa said Martinez did not admit to pulling the trigger.

Two other teens were criminally charged in the robbery, but Martinez was the only one charged with murder.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Anthony Long said under Martinez's plea agreement, he could face 15 years in prison, with an additional 15 years suspended.

State District Judge T. Glenn Ellington scheduled Martinez's sentencing hearing for Wednesday morning after accepting the plea deal. Long indicated a number of Herrera's family members will speak during the proceeding.

Martinez also had been charged with robbery, tampering with evidence, conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence and conspiracy to commit robbery, according to online court records. Those charges were dismissed under the plea deal.

Nearly two years before Herrera's death, Martinez was struck twice with a stun gun during a high-profile incident at Española Valley High School by a Rio Arriba County sheriff's deputy. A widely spread video of the incident drew outrage. The deputy was fired months after the incident and later charged. He pleaded no contest to a count of false imprisonment in December and agreed never to work in law enforcement again.

Martinez, who was a 15-year-old special education student at the time, eventually received a $1.3 million settlement from Rio Arriba County and the Española school district to settle his civil suit over the matter.

This is a developing story. Check back here for more details.