New Mexico

How will new laws come into play in mental competency challenges?

Published

11 months ago

March 27, 2025

How will new laws come into play in mental competency challenges?

Since 2017, the governor’s office says 18,000 criminal charges in New Mexico have been dismissed because of competency issues.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A woman was caught on camera smashing windows and damaging nearly a dozen Albuquerque city and police vehicles.

It isn’t the first time she’s reportedly done something like this. So why, after spending less than 24 hours in custody, is she already out of jail?

Danielle Magee’s case highlights a major issue we’ve seen in thousands of cases in New Mexico. They’ve been dismissed because the suspects are deemed not competent to stand trial.

KOB 4 has been digging into what lawmakers in Santa Fe did to try to address the issue and what more needs to be done.

It’s a longstanding issue, the so-called revolving door in New Mexico’s justice system. Suspects arrested, deemed incompetent to stand trial, and then released back on the streets only to repeat the cycle over and over.

It’s one of the issues lawmakers addressed this session, but the question is how will it be implemented?

“We are tired of seeing the same people coming back into the system and not being able to do anything for them,” said Deputy Bernalillo County District Attorney, Steven Diamond.

That is exactly what has happened to repeat offender, Danielle Magee. A security camera caught her smashing the windows of 21 city and police cars parked downtown.

This is the latest chapter in a long story. She has been charged several times since 2022 for similar crimes:

2024: Damaging a police vehicle
2023: Damaging eight city vehicles and 32 personal vehicles in Civic Plaza

In the majority of those cases, she’s been found incompetent to stand trial.

“As annoying as her crimes are, as they create public safety concerns, they don’t rise to that level of dangerousness. So the law would say her case gets dismissed,” said Diamond.

Since 2017, the governor’s office says 18,000 criminal charges in New Mexico have been dismissed because of competency issues.

This past legislative session, lawmakers passed a crime package that creates access to behavioral health care across the state for these offenders.

“We are now able to offer some help for some people who are found incompetent, when we otherwise wouldn’t be able to,” Diamond said.

The issue now:

“Those services currently don’t exist. So we aren’t sure how that void is going to be filled,” said Tess Williams with the Law Offices of the Public Defender.

While the Legislature has put in place the groundwork to fix the competency revolving door, prosecutors and public defenders agree the issue isn’t going away immediately.

“We have a serious need for long term and short term mental health treatment facilities,” Williams said.

“Passing legislation is not the end of the process. Now we have to figure out how that legislation is implemented,” said Diamond.

Magee was released from custody Tuesday and has a mental evaluation scheduled in April.

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New Mexico

New Mexico veteran cemetery coming to Carlsbad via $8M in federal funds – Carlsbad Current-Argus

Published

3 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

New Mexico veteran cemetery coming to Carlsbad via M in federal funds – Carlsbad Current-Argus

Mack Dyer salutes the American Flag during a ceremony, Feb. 25, 2026 at the American Legion in Carlsbad. Adrian Hedden | Carlsbad Current-Argus

Adrian Hedden Carlsbad Current-Argusachedden@currentargus.com Mack Dyer served for 21 years in the U.S. Army. He fought in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi…

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New Mexico

New Mexico spoils Nevada’s Senior Day as Lobos leave Reno with 63-56 win

Published

16 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

New Mexico spoils Nevada’s Senior Day as Lobos leave Reno with 63-56 win

The Nevada women’s basketball team dropped its final home contest of the 2025-26 season on Saturday with New Mexico spoiling Senior Day and pushing past the Wolf Pack for a 63-56 win.

The Wolf Pack led 36-34 at halftime behind a hot-shooting start. Skylar Durley, Imbie Jones and Ahrray Young each had six points as Nevada shot 14-of-25 from the field (56%). But things cooled off in the second half, with the Lobos outscoring the Wolf Pack 19-13 in the third quarter to take a four-point lead into the fourth. Nevada’s shooting woes only worsened in the final period when it made just three field goals, including none in the final four minutes.

Durley led Nevada with 16 points and six rebounds. Young finished with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists. The Wolf Pack made just one three-pointer out of its nine attempts.

The loss drops Nevada to 9-20 overall, 5-14 within the Mountain West Conference. The Wolf Pack now heads to Utah State for Tuesday’s regular-season finale before opening the Mountain West Tournament play next Saturday in Las Vegas.

Watch our coverage of the game below.

Highlights and reaction from Nevada’s loss to New Mexico.

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