Santa Fe teen may face adult charges in Kalamazoo man's death

SANTA FE, N.M. — Prosecutors are seeking to charge a Santa Fe teen with murder a year after his arrest in a Michigan man's shooting death.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Monday that the district attorney's office filed a petition last month to pursue adult charges including second-degree murder against the now 18-year-old.

Police say 64-year-old Richard Milan of Kalamazoo and his wife stopped in Santa Fe in September 2018 during a cross-country road trip.

Milan was walking the couple's dog when he got into an argument with a group of young people that escalated into a shooting.

Parishioners at a nearby church used linens and their own shirts to put pressure on Milan's wounds in an attempt to stop heavy bleeding.

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Richard Milan's cousin Terry told the newsaper Milan was a jack-of-all-trades who did everything from swimming pool installations to roofing and carpentry work in the Kalamazoo area.

He and his wife had gone to California to pick up a camper trailer from another relative, Terry Milan said.

Prosecutors dismissed charges against the suspect last November, citing insufficient evidence.

Stephen Aarons, the teen's attorney, has said his client was just a bystander. Aarons could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, as cited by the Albuquerque Journal, a witness said the teen, who police say has an long criminal record even as a juvenile, bent over and laughed at Milan after shooting him twice.

Detroit Free Press contributed to this story.