Man accused of fatally stabbing man in Colfax County rest area

Apr. 15—An out-of-state man was arrested after a fatal stabbing in a northern New Mexico rest area Monday morning.

Dorien Ray, 21, is being charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle.

According to a San Miguel County Magistrate Court criminal complaint, Ray is also being charged with aggravated assault upon a peace officer (deadly weapon), aggravated fleeing an enforcement officer, criminal damage (over $1,000) and reckless driving.

There are conflicting reports of where Ray is from. According to New Mexico State Police, he is from Union City, Georgia, while the complaint filed at the San Miguel County Magistrate Court states Ray is from McComb, Mississippi.

Ray was taken to the San Miguel County Detention Center, the complaint states.

New Mexico State Police spokesman Ray Wilson said at about 7:30 a.m., New Mexico State Police was conducting a traffic stop near Tinaja Rest Area in Colfax County when a maintenance worker told them about a stabbing incident in the rest area.

Wilson said when an officer arrived, he saw Colfax County deputies and firefighters providing medical assistance to 79-year-old David Adams, who later died. Adams' wife told police he was attacked and stabbed, and their vehicle, a 2016 BMW, was missing.

The report does not state where Adams was from.

According to State Police, the Raton Police Department issued a "Be on the Look Out" (BOLO) for the vehicle. A State Police officer saw the vehicle on Interstate 25 in San Miguel County.

The San Miguel County Magistrate Court complaint states that a vehicleman — later identified as driven by Ray — entered a Love's Travel Stop at "a high rate of speed" in Las Vegas before going north on I-25.

According to police, a NMSP officer exited I-25 to avoid colliding with the BMW. The chase ended by milepost 374 near Watrous when State Police used a Pursuit Intervention Technique to stop the vehicle. Ray was arrested.

According to State Police, NMSP's Investigations Bureau agents learned a stolen 2019 Toyota 4Runner at the scene matched a vehicle reported stolen in Aurora, Colorado. The suspect in the theft matched Ray, who had brandished a knife in the Colorado theft.

Aurora Police Department spokeswoman Sydney Edwards told the Journal that APD is investigating the report of the stolen 4Runner.

She said as of Monday evening "we can't say for sure if Ray is involved" with the theft.

Wilson said the fatal stabbing case is being investigated by the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau.