Questions about Zachary Babitz's parole violation before alleged crime spree

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — How could a paroled repeat offender kill an elderly man and steal several other people's cars after cutting his ankle bracelet?

A six-page report on the violations paints a picture of the events between the alleged cutting of Zachary Babitz's ankle bracelet and the alleged carjacking and murder of the man.

On August 1, Babitz's probation officer received an immediate notice of violation. Babitz allegedly cut off his GPS ankle bracelet and disposed of it at a gas station in Moriarty.

Lupe Sanchez, director of the New Mexico Corrections Department's parole and release division, explained the protocol for what parole officers do in such cases.

“They immediately contact the perpetrator and try to make contact with him. And if that doesn't work, they go to the last known location where the perpetrator was and where he cut it,” Sanchez said.

In Babitz's case, the probation officer did just that. After finding the monitor, he visited his address, attempted to call him, and even sent him a letter demanding that he appear in court in person on August 6.

On August 6, Babitz did not appear. Instead, he is said to have stolen and killed an elderly man's car in Santa Fe.

Police believe he stole several cars and even robbed an Arby's in Las Cruces. He was caught and now faces federal charges for these alleged crimes.

“In general, it's the worst case scenario for any perpetrator. Yes, that's the last thing we want,” Sanchez said. “At this point, we just want to express our condolences to the family.”

Sanchez said about 300 officers across New Mexico are responsible for monitoring about 14,000 offenders. He said about 11 percent of them, like Babitz, are monitored by GPS.

“The difficulty with parole and parole is predicting human behavior. If we could do that, many of our problems would be solved, but we can't. So we try to change behavior, and that's what we do through all the programs we offer,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez added that the department is constantly looking for new tools to increase efficiency.

“Our parole officers respond quickly when a bracelet is cut. I don't know how much faster we can get in that regard,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said it is a difficult task to track down someone who does not want to be found.

“I wish we could predict human behavior and prevent all these things, but if I could do that, that would be my superhuman power, you know?” Sanchez said.

Of the 300 parole officers across the state, 120 are armed. Many respond to violations with pepper spray and a taser.

The department is seeking to arm more officers.