Vincent Galvan faces a first-degree murder charge after Ricki White was found dead in an SUV in Roosevelt County.

CLOVIS, N.M. — A 38-year-old New Mexico woman was killed after she gathered evidence she hoped would send an on-again, off-again boyfriend to jail, investigators said in court records filed in Roosevelt County.

Vincent Galvan, 38, is charged with first-degree murder and four other felonies in the death of Ricki Lee White, whose body was found May 12 in an SUV on abandoned property along South Roosevelt Road 6. The case now turns on what investigators say was inside the vehicle, including a folder tied to earlier alleged crimes, as well as phone data, a recovered pistol, witness statements and a recorded jail call. Galvan is being held in Texas while a separate case there moves forward.

The search for White began with a tip. Deputies with the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office went to the rural property late May 12 and found a decomposing body in a white SUV. Authorities later identified the victim as White, a Clovis woman who had been living in eastern New Mexico and sometimes across the state line in Farwell, Texas. Ninth Judicial District Attorney Quentin Ray later confirmed her death had been ruled a homicide. Sheriff Javier Sanchez said investigators called in the Major Crimes Unit after the scene raised immediate concerns. At first, Galvan was described as a person of interest, not as a charged suspect. Mercedes Salazar, 27, was also listed as a person of interest as deputies looked for people who might know what happened before White died.

Investigators believe White was last known to be alive at 7:31 p.m. May 4, when she had contact with a family member. Court records say she was likely shot between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. May 5. A cellphone that Salazar told police she had loaned to Galvan the night before was tracked to the area of the crime scene during that window, investigators said. When deputies searched the SUV, they found what an affidavit described as “a folder with discovery proving … prior crimes.” Authorities said that discovery fit with Galvan’s own reported statements that White had been threatening him and gathering information that could be used against him.

The affidavit also describes a history of violence between White and Galvan. A person familiar with them told investigators the two had been in an on-and-off relationship and fought often, including one incident in which they allegedly pointed guns at each other at a residence. Records cited by investigators show Clovis and Curry County law enforcement had handled several calls involving the couple. On Aug. 26, 2025, White reported that Galvan shot at her or damaged a tire. On April 25, 2026, she reported another domestic incident and said Galvan had burned down a camper where she had been staying. Some disputes were reported to police, while others were not, investigators said.

Galvan’s arrest came two days after White’s body was found and began with a separate stolen-truck report in Clovis. A business owner, Kip Defoor, was told by an employee that the employee’s pickup had been stolen overnight. Defoor knew the truck and began searching for it. He spotted it on Mabry Drive, followed it and later told authorities the driver realized he was being followed and fired several shots at him. Defoor lost the truck on residential streets but told police it appeared to be heading toward Farwell. Officers there found the stolen vehicle abandoned near a restaurant. At that point, police did not yet know the truck case would connect to the Roosevelt County homicide.

Farwell Police Chief Larry Kelsay then learned White sometimes stayed with a friend in Farwell. Kelsay spoke with that friend, Donnie Chancellor, and learned Chancellor was driving Galvan toward Clovis. Police asked Chancellor to return to Farwell, where officers made a traffic stop. Chancellor got out as instructed, but Galvan allegedly moved into the driver’s seat and sped away. The chase lasted about one minute before Galvan crashed the pickup. No one was injured in the crash, and officers arrested Galvan after a brief foot pursuit. Investigators later tied him to the stolen pickup through video from a Clovis truck stop, according to court records.

After the arrest, police said they found a 9 mm pistol in the vehicle Galvan had fled in. An affidavit said the gun appeared to have dried blood on the frame, and investigators said its caliber matched a projectile recovered from White’s body. Authorities also pointed to statements Galvan allegedly made to friends, saying he killed White because she had been threatening him. In a recorded jail call to his mother, Galvan said he knew a friend was setting him up to be caught. He also said he had thought about leaving the vehicle before the stop, but “a part of me … felt I needed to be caught for this stuff,” according to the affidavit.

White’s relatives and friends have described her as independent, guarded and loyal to those she trusted. Shawna Toussaint, who grew up with White and considered her a sister, said White had moved to New Mexico after a breakup and was looking for a fresh start. Toussaint said she last communicated with White on May 3 and thought White’s relationship with Galvan was most recently off again. Ashley Hodges, a longtime friend from Oklahoma, called White a complicated person with a strong sense of loyalty. Their accounts add a personal frame to court records that describe months of conflict, police calls and fear before the homicide investigation began.

Galvan faces New Mexico counts of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Texas authorities also charged him after the chase in Farwell. Sanchez said Galvan will remain jailed in Farwell until the Texas case is resolved, then be returned to New Mexico. No public trial date has been announced.

Author note: Last updated June 21, 2026.