Crime spree ends in Las Cruces arrest

Before Zachary Ryan Babitz left his wife’s home in Edgewood in late July, he left a note for police.

“To: Law Enforcement this needs to be very clear,” the note read. “My wife had absolutely no clue as to what I planned or am about to do. These were my decisions and I hid them from her. Signed this day 8-1-24 10:55 am Zachary Babitz.”

The day before Babitz wrote the note, police believe he robbed an Albuquerque bank for about $3,000. A few days later, they accused him of killing an 83-year-old man in Santa Fe while stealing his car. Then, last weekend, Las Cruces police said he robbed a local restaurant and carjacked a second person before he was finally arrested.

Babitz is now jailed in the Doña Ana County Detention Center, awaiting more charges and extradition to a jail up north, according to Santa Fe police Capt. Thomas Grundler, who participated in a news conference about the arrest on Aug. 11.

At the time of this article’s publication, Babitz faces one count of murder, two counts of armed robbery, one count of possession of a firearm as a felon, and tampering with evidence.

The allegations in Las Cruces remain under investigation, according to a new release. But if or when charges are filed, they will likely be similar in severity.

“Babitz still faces several felony charges for incidents that occurred in Las Cruces. Las Cruces police are still investigating the incidents that occurred locally,” LCPD said in a news release.

According to court records reviewed by the Bulletin, police believe Babitz entered an Albuquerque Wells Fargo bank on July 31 around 3 p.m. He’d strolled up to the bank on a bike, police said, and walked over to a bank teller and handed her a note.

“You have 30 seconds. No dye, no bait, or GPS. I will check. All 100s, 50s, 20s. Smile, no sudden movements,” the note said. The teller also told police that Babitz said he had a gun and told her, “Don’t make me use it.”

Albuquerque police said Babitz got away with $3,336 in cash. But as he rode his bike away from the bank, his front tire fell off, and he lost $166. Babitz ditched the bike and left on foot. Police discovered it, along with the note, a short time later.

Five days later, police believe Babitz gunned down 83-year-old Gordon Peter Wilson on Aug. 6. Babitz was attempting to carjack Wilson at a Santa Fe Best Buy around 10 a.m. when the two men struggled, leading Babitz to fire into the man’s chest, killing him.

“Nothing can replace the loss of life, but I hope that Mr. Wilson’s family can take some solace in the fact that his killer has been apprehended and will answer for his crimes,” SFPD’s Grundler said at the news conference.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Wilson was a retired investment and mutual fund manager and resident of Las Campanas. They also described him “as a gentle man, in the old sense of the word.”

Babitz then left the area in Wilson’s blue Jeep Cherokee, police said.

Court records also indicate Babitz was no stranger to living life at the end of a gun. In 2018, Babitz pled guilty to armed robbery charges stemming from a two-day spree in which he robbed a Starbucks and an Arby’s in Bernalillo County.

After serving about six years in prison, court records show Babitz was released on parole with an ankle monitor in March 2024. Court records also show police think Babitz cut the monitor off the day after he robbed the bank.

In a news release, LCPD said Babitz and an unidentified woman robbed the Arby’s at 2341 E. Lohman Ave. before carjacking a woman nearby on Aug. 10

“Shortly thereafter, the stolen vehicle crashed near Missouri Avenue and Triviz Drive,” the release said. “Both suspects fled from the crash. Police located and detained Babitz nearby. His female accomplice has yet to be identified or located.”