Courts

District Attorney Reaches Resolution In Obelisk Cases

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District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies

From the Office of the District Attorney:

SANTA FE – The District Attorney’s office and all but one of the Defendants charged with felonies have reached a resolution to the Obelisk cases that will further reconciliation in the community.

“It was my promise upon assuming this position that our office would do our best to divert non-violent and first-time offenders from costly and unnecessary incarceration,” District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said. “The Obelisk case defendants meet the criteria I set out for diversionary programming. We have Read More

Union Protectiva De Santa Fe Requests Public Update From DA, Mayor On Status Of Charges In Desecration Of Obelisk

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ICOURT News:

SANTA FE— This morning, Union Protectiva de Santa Fe, one of the oldest Spanish Fraternal Organizations in the United States, and the northern New Mexico Spanish community are calling on First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber to give a public update on the status of the Obelisk desecration case.

As these politicians have spoken volumes with their silence, rumors abound in the legal community that District Attorney Carmack-Altweis is about to dismiss charges against the defendants in the Obelisk desecration case. Since rumors and Read More

DA Mary Carmack-Altwies Disappointed In Judge Jason Lidyard’s Rejection Of Plea In Triple Homicide Case

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District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies

From the Office of the District Attorney:

SANTA FE — The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office is disappointed in Judge Jason Lidyard’s decision Thursday to reject the plea of life plus nine years in the case of State v. Gage.

Gage attempted to plead guilty to a brutal triple homicide.

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies stated, “The victims’ families were very clear with us that they do not want to go through another trial. The last one was traumatic for them, and they whole-heartedly agreed that this plea was justice in their eyes.”

Judge Jason Read More

Governor Appoints Roscoe Augustus Woods Of Socorro To Seventh Judicial District Court Vacancy

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COURT News:

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday that she has named Roscoe Augustus Woods of Socorro to the Seventh Judicial District Court, Division II.

He fills a vacancy created by the death of Chief Judge Matthew Reynolds in March.

Woods has led his own private practice firm in Socorro since 2015. He previously served as Assistant Attorney General and Director of the Open Government Division for the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General and worked as a special commissioner for the Seventh Judicial District Court.

Born and raised in New Mexico, Woods graduated high Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Outlines Limits On Its Equitable Powers In Primary Election Case

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NMSC News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Supreme Court (NMSC) issued an opinion today explaining its legal reasoning for ordering the state’s top election official to mail applications for absentee ballots to all eligible primary election voters last year during the public health emergency from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This remedy promoted the health of the voting public and election workers by making it easier for voters to cast their ballots from the safety of their own homes. We also honored the separation of powers by preserving the Legislature’s plenary power to set election Read More

LOPD: Justices Affirm Pretrial Release Ruling In Public Defender Case Targeted By Bernalillo District Attorney

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From the Law Offices of the Public Defender:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Supreme Court Friday affirmed a 2nd Judicial District Court judge’s ruling allowing a teenager accused of multiple home burglaries to await trial under strict conditions of release on house arrest.

The Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office asked the court to reconsider the pretrial detention of Jesse Mascareno-Haidle, 19, after failing twice to convince two judges to hold him in jail pending his trial. T

he prosecutor’s office claims Mascareno-Haidle is a suspect in some 80 burglaries, but has only charged him with Read More

New Mexico State Police Arrests Man In Cold Case Murder

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NMSP News:

ALAMOGORDO – New Mexico State Police (NMSP) Investigation Bureau agents, the NMSP Tactical Team and officers from the Fugitive Apprehension Unit assisted the Anaheim Police Department from California Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in tracking down a murder suspect in Alamogordo.

The male suspect who was identified as William Lepere, 64, from Alamogordo, was wanted in a cold case murder, which occurred in the 1980s in Anaheim, Calif.

During the investigation, a search warrant was obtained and served by the NMSP on Lepere’s residence. Lepere was taken into custody and arrested without Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Rules Release Pending Appeal For Defendants Meeting State Law Requirements

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NMSC News:

SANTA FE — Defendants convicted of certain offenses are entitled to release pending appeal if they meet the requirements of a 1988 New Mexico law, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.

The Court’s unanimous opinion provided the legal reasoning for its decision last September to order the release of former Portales daycare owners Mary and Sandi Taylor while they appealed convictions of reckless child abuse.

One girl died and another suffered serious injuries in 2017 after they were left in a hot car for more than two hours outside the home-based daycare the Taylors operated.

State Read More

New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Vigil, In Celebrating Law Day, Commends Efforts For Equal Justice

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Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Vigil

NMSC News:

SANTA FE — Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Vigil Friday called for a renewed dedication to ensuring equal justice for all New Mexicans, and he commended legal aid groups, attorneys and court staff for efforts to expand access to legal services across the state.

“We salute these efforts, but let us offer greater support to those who work daily to provide legal services to those who most need them,” the Chief Justice stated in a proclamation to celebrate Law Day on Saturday. “Let us dedicate ourselves to improving our Read More