A New Mexico mother has been convicted of second-degree murder after she handed her teenage son a gun and told him to shoot during an argument with a homeless woman. That shot turned deadly.
Kristina Withrow, 45, was found guilty on April 24 by a jury in Bernalillo County. Her charges include second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence.
The tragic incident happened on April 3, 2023, outside Withrow’s Albuquerque apartment.
According to police, Withrow confronted Monique Garcia, a 36-year-old homeless woman, and asked her to move from a walkway near her building. An argument followed.
Withrow claimed Garcia started approaching her, so she pulled out a handgun. Instead of walking away, she gave the weapon to her then-18-year-old son, Kristian Crespin, and told him to shoot. Crespin fired three times — one bullet hit Garcia, who later died at the hospital.
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Initially, Withrow tried to claim she had pulled the trigger. But multiple witnesses told police they saw a man shoot before running from the scene. Withrow eventually admitted she had instructed her son to fire the gun.
Crespin pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2024 and is now serving an 18-year prison sentence.
His mother’s trial lasted four days, and the jury took just over three hours to reach a verdict. While prosecutors had pushed for first-degree murder, the jury opted for the lesser charge.
“Initially, Withrow told police she was the one who opened fire, but later admitted that she ordered her son to shoot,” District Attorney Sam Bregman said.
Sentencing for Withrow has not yet been scheduled.
Garcia’s death sparked outrage in the community and renewed conversations around how society treats homeless individuals.
Friends described her as kind and soft-spoken — someone who had fallen on hard times, not unlike many others.
