Two teens charged in Henderson shooting death

Keith Paul

Wednesday, July 10, 2002 | 8:54 a.m.

Two teenagers are in jail this morning, accused of shooting a man to death with an assault rifle during what was supposed to be a fistfight.

The dispute on Sunday began with a minor disagreement over a girlfriend.

Nicholas Maestas, 18, and Raymond Lane, 17, were charged Monday night with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder in the shooting death of Jaime Sotelo Jr., 20, in Henderson.

According to police, Sotelo and two friends went to Eastminister Court near Major Avenue about 11:30 p.m. Sunday to meet Lane for a fight over a confrontation days earlier.

Lane had called Sotelo, saying he wanted to "have this out," meaning he wanted to fight, according to a Henderson Police arrest report.

Police said Lane told them he and Maestas brought a borrowed assault rifle to the fight to frighten Sotelo, but it apparently didn't work. Police allege that as Sotelo approached the two men, Maestas grabbed the gun and shot Sotelo, killing him.

Police said Sotelo had been upset because his girlfriend's former boyfriend, Nelson Albayero, kept calling her to say he still loved her -- even though the girl was now with Sotelo and pregnant with Sotelo's child.

A few days before the shooting Albayero was talking on the phone with Jessica Guzman, Sotelo's girlfriend. Sotelo grabbed the phone and began questioning Albayero about the frequent calls, according to the police report.

Another man then took the phone from Albayero and "began talking down to Sotelo," the report stated. Sotelo told a friend he recognized the voice as Lane's.

Then on Sunday, Sotelo and another man, Salvadore Villegas Jr., had a confrontation with Lane on the street. Sotelo slapped Lane in the face, the report states.

A few hours later the men set up the meeting to fight -- and the ex-boyfriend was not included.

When Sotelo, Villegas and another man, Ricardo Para, arrived at the site, they saw Lane holding the rifle.

"Villegas said that Sotelo was telling Lane to put the gun down and to handle this like a man," the report states.

Maestas told detectives later that he grabbed the rifle and fired warning shots at Sotelo and his friends, the report states. But the men continued walking toward Lane and Maestas.

Para told police he saw the two men start to run away, but then shots were fired, the report stated.

Sotelo has been hit and died there on the ground.