ALAMOSA — Robert Thrash, a 31-year-old former bail bondsman, appeared in Alamosa District Court on Thursday and is headed to trial in June for his alleged connection with the 2022 shooting death of 28-year-old Phil Lucero in Alamosa.

Thrash has been charged with murder in the second degree, a class two felony, and burglary in the first degree with attempt to assault and menace, a class three felony. The district attorney has also filed three charges of crimes of violence, two for use of a weapon and the third for causing death.

Crimes of violence are sentence enhancers that, if the defendant is convicted, increase the range of presumptive sentencing the judge can consider in her ruling. If found guilty of murder in the second degree, Thrash would likely be looking at a sentence of 16 to 48 years in the Department of Corrections. A conviction of first-degree burglary would likely bring a sentence of 4-12 years in prison.

According to documents obtained from the court, on the afternoon of Dec. 8, 2022, Thrash, a bondsman, went to a residence where he knew Lucero, 28, was staying. Lucero had an active warrant for his arrest in Alamosa due to his failure to appear in court.

Upon arriving at the residence, a physical altercation occurred between Lucero, Thrash and Thrash’s associate who had accompanied him. It was during that altercation that Lucero was shot and killed.

The trial is currently scheduled to begin on Monday, June 10, 2024, with counsel for defense and prosecution agreeing it is likely to go until Tuesday, June 18. Thrash is currently scheduled to return to court for a pre-trial readiness conference on May 7.