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By Matthew Reisen / Journal Staff Writer Published: Wednesday, September 14th, 2022 at 6:47PM Updated: Wednesday, September 14th, 2022 at 10:23PM

Police arrested a homicide suspect inside a vacant apartment in Southeast Albuquerque on Wednesday – weeks after he allegedly cut off his ankle monitor while awaiting trial.

Yonnis Abreu, 20, is now back behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center, facing an additional charge of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer stemming from his arrest.

Abreu is already charged with an open count of murder in the March 2021 death of 29-year-old Dylon Spiess, who was shot at the American Inn and Suites on East Central.

Abreu was arrested in July 2021 and a judge initially ordered him to remain behind bars until trial. The judge reconsidered almost a year later, releasing Abreu on pretrial conditions, including an ankle monitor.

Around July 30 authorities announced Abreu cut off the monitor and was in the wind.

Sevia Gonzales, 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman, said GPS monitoring “is not the appropriate tool to protect the public from dangerous defendants, especially those accused of homicide.”

“It is unfortunate that the court released Mr. Abreu on GPS after previously granting our office’s motion to detain him,” she said. “Shortly after his release, Mr. Abreu cut off his GPS ankle monitor, preventing any supervision of his actions.”

Abreu’s attorney did not respond to a call and message seeking comment.

The homicide suspect turned up Tuesday during an unrelated sweep of abandoned buildings.

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Around 1 p.m., police were clearing what were thought to be vacant buildings in the 700 block of Bell SE, near Zuni and Pennsylvania, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Officers detained a man who left one of the apartments and he told them his sister and a baby were also inside.

A woman and two men also exited the apartment and were detained, according to the complaint.

One of the men – later identified as Abreu – gave a fake name of “Christian” but his real birth date.

Police said officers matched a booking photo of Abreu to the man who went by Christian, and recognized him from Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers flyers. Then a sergeant said “Yonni” aloud and Abreu stood up.

An officer went to handcuff Abreu and he ran.

“Force was ultimately used to apprehend (Abreu) and I placed him in handcuffs,” according to the complaint.