Prosecutors say the Aug. 7, 2025, shooting happened during a carjacking and kidnapping.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Federal prosecutors are pressing ahead with death-penalty-eligible charges against a man accused of killing an Uber driver during a carjacking, as the victim’s mother traveled to Albuquerque to watch a status hearing and to publicly describe the son she says was building a future on the night he died.
The case centers on the killing of Joseph Andrus, who relatives say had just graduated from the University of New Mexico and started a technology company before taking on rideshare driving to help pay for his new venture. The suspect, Sheliky Sanchez, was indicted by a federal grand jury and remains in custody while the court process continues. Prosecutors say the charges tie Andrus’ death directly to alleged kidnapping and carjacking conduct, raising potential punishment to life in prison or the death penalty if Sanchez is convicted.
At a recent federal court session in Albuquerque, Andrus’ mother, Allison Green, sat through an update on the case and later spoke about how quickly her son’s plans ended. Green said she drove hundreds of miles to be present, describing it as part of a new routine shaped by court dates instead of family gatherings. “No mom should ever have to place her child in the ground,” she said, adding that the reality of her son’s death still feels hard to grasp even as the legal case moves forward.
Federal authorities say the crime occurred Aug. 7, 2025, and involved a 2022 Ford Escape driven by Andrus as part of his work as an Uber driver. In a public announcement, prosecutors said Sanchez, 18 at the time, used a firearm to carjack and kidnap the driver, then intentionally killed him during and in relation to those crimes. Another report describing the sequence said Andrus picked Sanchez up just after 3 a.m. near Sanchez’s residence in northwest Albuquerque, and investigators allege the ride ended at a location Sanchez chose at random.
According to authorities’ allegations, the encounter turned violent at the drop-off point. Investigators say Sanchez ordered Andrus out of the vehicle and shot him multiple times, then drove away in the SUV. Prosecutors have portrayed the killing as a deliberate act, not a struggle that escalated, and they have described the charges as fitting federal statutes that treat death during a kidnapping or carjacking as among the most serious violent crimes.
The Justice Department said a federal grand jury indicted Sanchez on three counts: carjacking resulting in death, using a firearm during a violent crime and causing death by firing it, and kidnapping resulting in death. Prosecutors said all three counts are eligible for the federal death penalty. They also said Sanchez will remain in custody while awaiting trial and that a trial date had not been scheduled when the indictment was announced.
Those charging decisions shifted the case into a rare category of federal prosecutions in New Mexico. Death-eligible cases can involve extended pretrial litigation, larger defense teams, and additional review by federal officials before prosecutors decide whether to formally seek an execution. Even when the death penalty is legally available, the government does not always pursue it, and courts often spend months sorting through evidence rules, witness issues, and the scope of expert testimony before any jury is seated.
Green’s account of her son focuses on the weeks before the killing rather than the allegations that now define court filings. She said Andrus recently graduated from the University of New Mexico and launched a company called Byte-Spire Technology. She said he began driving for Uber to help support the startup and to cover basic costs as he tried to build independence. In one detail she said captures his mindset, Green recalled that a few hours before he went out to drive, he asked to borrow money for gas so he could start earning. “It was his first day,” she said. “He was trying to be independent, and he was doing it.”
Green described her son as someone quick to help other people and quick to share joy, and she said her family is now left with memories that ended abruptly. “There won’t be any more memories. There won’t be any more birthday calls,” she said. She also described the moment officers came to her door with the news, saying she initially tried to make sense of it as a crash or a fight, because the idea of a killing felt impossible to accept.
Investigators have publicly alleged that the attack was not driven by a dispute with the driver. In one account attributed to police, Sanchez is quoted as saying he chose a driver at random and described the act as a way to release frustration. Those claims have fueled public reaction because they suggest the victim had no chance to avoid danger once the ride began. Sanchez’s defense has not admitted guilt, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted in court.
The case also underscores the risks faced by gig workers who drive overnight hours, often alone, meeting strangers in confined spaces. Many cities, including Albuquerque, have grappled with violent crime linked to vehicles, including carjackings and armed robberies. Prosecutors say the allegations here combine those concerns into one event: a rideshare pickup that, in their telling, became a kidnapping, a carjacking, and a killing within the span of a single trip.
Federal officials said the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department. The Justice Department announcement named the acting U.S. attorney in New Mexico and the FBI’s local leadership in presenting the indictment, a sign the case is being treated as a major violent-crime prosecution. Public releases have not laid out all evidence investigators expect to present, such as surveillance video, forensic testing, or digital records tied to the ride request, but those details are typically fought over in pretrial motions.
Procedurally, the next steps will include more status conferences and scheduling orders that set deadlines for motions and hearings. Defense attorneys in federal court often challenge statements, searches, and the admissibility of specific evidence, and prosecutors respond with filings that outline the government’s theory of the case. If federal prosecutors decide to seek the death penalty, additional notice and specialized litigation often follow, and judges may add time to ensure both sides can prepare.
Green said she wants the court system to treat the case with the seriousness she believes it deserves, and she framed her public comments as part of remembering her son as a person rather than only as a victim. “My son’s message was a message with hope,” she said. “I think when a line’s been crossed, then the hope becomes a hope for justice and responsibility, accountability.”
For now, Sanchez remains jailed as the federal case continues and prosecutors weigh their next filings. The next milestone will be the court’s updated schedule, including deadlines for pretrial motions and a future date when a judge is expected to revisit trial timing.
Author note: Last updated March 3, 2026.