Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

Nathan Garrison, the man accused of killing 36-year-old Artesia resident Tyler Grantham, will go on trial Monday, Feb. 17, on a single count of second-degree murder.

Grantham was found shot in the face at his Artesia home on Nov. 17, 2021. Garrison, 45, was arrested the same day. He could face up to 18 years in prison if convicted on the murder charge and five more years if convicted on an additional charge of tampering with evidence.

Garrison’s trial at the Eddy County Courthouse in Carlsbad will begin with jury selection before Fifth Judicial District Judge Jane Schuler Gray. Once a jury is seated, the case will proceed with opening arguments from prosecutor Ariane Gonzales and defense attorney Gary Mitchell.

Gonzalez, representing the Fifth District Attorney’s Office, will then present evidence and call witnesses to support the prosecution’s case against Garrison. After that, Mitchell will present the case for a not guilty verdict.

Here’s what to know about the case ahead of Garrison’s trial.

What happened?

Following is a summary of events leading up to charges being filed, as described in the official criminal complaint:

Grantham was found by detectives with the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office at about 2:30 a.m. at his house in the 100 block of East Cottonwood Street in Artesia after police received a report of a man suffering from a gunshot wound.

Detectives found Grantham slumped against a wall, unconscious and not breathing. Grantham had been shot in the left side of his face. He succumbed to his injuries despite medical personnel attempting to resuscitate him at the scene.

Three witnesses at the scene, Christine Pitman, Ciara Cheatham and Zephery Bernal, were taken to the sheriff’s office location in Artesia location for questioning.

Pitman and Cheatham said they had been living with Grantham, and told police that at about 5 p.m. on the day of the shooting they went with Grantham to a drug rehab meeting hosted by Celebrate Recovery at a church near the Artesia Walmart.

The meeting ended about 8:30 p.m., they said, and Kianna Wallace, a friend of the group who also attended the meeting, noticed $400 in cash was missing from her vehicle. Wallace questioned everyone about the money.

Conflict arose about the missing money and continued as the group went to the home on Cottonwood Street. Wallace accused Bernal of stealing the money. Wallace later called Garrison and asked him if he stole the money. Garrison said he did not

Witnesses said another man, Randy Fernandez, was brandishing a firearm at the house and demanding to know where the money was. Garrison told police he left after denying stealing the money, but returned to the home with a shotgun to scare Fernandez into letting everyone go.

Garrison told police he fired once into the backdoor of the house – a shot that investigators said hit and killed Grantham. Garrison admitted to police that he argued with Grantham over the stolen money.

Garrison was arrested the day of the shooting near a home where he was staying in the 3500 block of Quay Avenue in Artesia. He was subsequently charged and pleaded not guilty.

Who’s on the witness list?

Several witnesses from the scene, including Wallace, Bernal, Cheatham and Pitman, were listed as witnesses by the prosecution.

Arresting officer Cayden Bird with the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office was also listed as a potential witness, along with detectives from the sheriff’s office and the Artesia Police Department.

Rick Wiedenman, field investigator with the Office of the Medical Investigator, was listed as a potential witness, along with firearm ballistics expert Sean Daniel and DNA expert Jennifer Otto with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.

A list of potential witnesses submitted by the defense included many of the same law enforcement officials, experts and other witnesses listed by the prosecution but also included Randy Fernandez and members of Garrison’s family.