"Worth every moment" - Victim's devastated family speak out after video shows moment Alexander Ortiz was attacked in court

Alexander Ortiz, who has been accused of his former girlfriend’s murder, faced an attack at Albuquerque’s Bernalillo County Courthouse during a recent hearing.

Ortiz was shackled and stood before the judge before he was chased by an attacker in the courtroom. In the video obtained by KRQE (KRQE News 13) from the scene, Carlos Lucero, the victim’s uncle, has been identified as the attacker. He is seen hopping over the barrier in the courtroom before chasing Alexander Ortiz.

Lucero takes Ortiz down and seemingly starts throwing punches off-camera. Carlos Lucero is then followed by another man identified as Pete Ysasi, the victim’s stepfather, who also runs down toward the scene.

He joins Lucero in attacking Alexander Ortiz while a Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) officer struggles to separate all of them.

Seconds later, Joeray Ortiz, the murder suspect’s father, also joins the courtroom brawl to defend his son. Two women also followed Ortiz and tried to pull him away, while the Metropolitan Detention Center officer sustained hits while guarding the defendant. Ultimately, the fight stops after the men get separated.

Carlos Lucero, who was the first one to attack Alexander Ortiz, reportedly told police the reason behind his actions (via KRQE),

“He killed my niece like a coward.”

He further added,

“It was worth every moment.”

According to the court documents, Ortiz, Ysasi, and Lucero sustained some injuries after the incident, as there were “visible lacerations” on them. While Katina Watson, CEO of Second Judicial District Court, also thanked the MDC officer for his reaction to the incident,

“I really want to give recognition to the MDC officer who was caught in the middle of this and he did everything he could to ensure the safety of everyone.”

Pete Ysasi and Carlos Lucero were then arrested by the authorities on Friday, January 31, 2025, for their actions.

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Carlos Lucero launches a GoFundMe fundraiser for legal assistance after attacking Alexander Ortiz

Police apprehended Carlos Lucero and Pete Ysasi after they attacked Ortiz in the courtroom. Both were detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center and were released later.

However, as both are facing legal actions after being charged with “assault and battery of a peace officer,” Lucero has launched a GoFundMe fundraiser.

The fundraiser has a goal of $25K for the legal assistance of both – Ysasi and Lucero. Lucero, who organized the fundraiser, also wrote,

“Please help Carlos Lucero and Pete Ysasi with funding for legal assistance after the court room brawl on Friday January 31st. Tension and over whelming emotions were high in the courtroom with Family seeing the person who took the life of Alianna Farfan for the first time.”

He continued,

“Both Carlos and Pete cared very much for Alianna and reacted on their emotion in the court room. Alianna did not deserve what happened to her she was a central part of our family. She was a beautiful young mother of two boys, her smile was so bright and we miss her dearly.”

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Alexander Ortiz, the suspect behind Alianna Farfan’s murder, was apprehended in February 2024

Alianna Farfan was Ortiz’s former girlfriend, who was found dead in her apartment room in January 2024. According to a press release from the Albuquerque Police Department, Farfan’s friends revealed that she had an abusive relationship with Alexander Ortiz. On the day of her murder, he was said to be upset with Alianna.

Farfan’s friends, who were at her apartment, heard a gunshot from her room when she was with Alexander Ortiz. Ortiz had seemingly escaped through a window when they kicked open the bedroom door. Following the murder, Ortiz was apprehended by APD in February 2024 after a brief standoff.

He has since been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center. Apart from being the accused in Alianna Farfan's murder case, he is also a suspect in the homicide of another woman during the incident dubbed as the Adam Food Market shooting.