New Mexico
New Mexico Supreme Court reverses conviction of Mawu Ekon Revels in 2021 shooting
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David Leonard Wood, convicted of murdering six girls and women in Texas, is set to be executed this month. He’s always maintained his innocence.
The New Mexico Supreme Court vacated the conviction for first-degree murder of Mawu Ekon Revels for a shooting death at a house party in 2021, but he potentially could face another trial.
The Court concluded in a unanimous opinion that aggravated assault cannot serve as the underlying felony to elevate a homicide to a charge of felony murder as happened to Revels. New Mexico criminal law does not recognize aggravated assault as the predicate felony to murder because it is not possible to commit murder without also committing some form of aggravated assault, the Court wrote.
“(The) defendant’s conviction for felony murder is legally invalid because it is based on the predicate felony of aggravated assault. Therefore, we vacate that conviction as a nonexistent crime,” an opinion written by Justice C. Shannon Bacon read.
The Court ordered the case back to the district court in Doña Ana County for retrial and further proceedings. Revels can be retried on a charge of first-degree murder or a lesser included offense, such as second-degree murder, the Court explained.
A jury convicted Revels of killing Nicodemus Gonzales when he and Isaiah James William Taylor fired multiple times into a group of people during a fight at the house party, according to a news release from the New Mexico Dept. of Justice. Revels was 17 years old at the time of the shooting and a high school student.
Gonzalez was 23 when he was shot and killed at the home on Chaparro Street. At the time of the homicide, police believed Gonzalez was bystander to the conflict that resulted in gunfire.
In addition to first-degree murder, Revels was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit shooting at or from a motor vehicle.
Taylor was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit shooting at or from a motor vehicle and entered a no contest plea in November 2024. He was scheduled to be sentenced April 7. A sentencing order was not filed by the time of this reporting.
The Court vacated one conspiracy conviction and said there was not enough evidence to prove more than one conspiracy by Revels. The justices also said Revels improperly received a four-year sentence enhancement because a firearm was used in the crimes. The law allows a one-year firearm enhancement for juvenile defendants like Revels who are charged with first-degree murder.
New Mexico law provides for different types of murder in the first degree, all of which are punishable by life in prison. Second-degree murder may be elevated to first-degree murder when the killing occurs in the commission of a felony or attempt to commit a felony.
In reversing the murder conviction, the Court explained that New Mexico law requires the underlying felony to be independent of or collateral to the homicide.
“At bottom, a conviction for a nonexistent crime is a charging defect,” the Court wrote.
Double jeopardy protections do not stop the retrial of Revels for the crime because the reversal of the conviction was a reversal for a trial error and not an acquittal, the Court wrote.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Kashie Natt had 17 points and 16 rebounds in No. 2 seed Sam Houston’s 69-61 win against 10th-seeded New Mexico State on Wednesday night in the Conference USA Tournament.
Sam Houston (22-10) plays the winner between No. 3 seed Western Kentucky and sixth-seeded Kennesaw State in the semifinals Friday.
Jacobe Coleman scored 15 points, going 5 of 12 from the floor, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and 3 for 4 from the free-throw line for the Bearkats. Veljko Ilic shot 5 of 11 from the field and 3 of 9 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points, while adding six rebounds.
Jemel Jones led the Aggies (16-16) in scoring, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks. New Mexico State also got 10 points and seven rebounds from Jae’Coby Osborne. Elijah Elliott finished with eight points.
Sam Houston took the lead for good with 18:36 to go in the first half. The score was 37-26 at halftime, with Natt racking up nine points. Sam Houston was outscored by New Mexico State in the second half by three points, with Jacob Walker scoring a team-high 10 points after intermission.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The U.S. Postal Service is commemorating the centennial anniversary of Route 66 with a set of eight stamps.
The stamps feature eight different photographs from each state that Route 66 runs through. For New Mexico, a photo shows a old Grants Cafe sign.
Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps and stamp pane using existing photographs by David J. Schwartz.
The stamps will make their debut at the National Postal Forum, also known as the NPF, at the Phoenix Convention Center on May 5. The event will be free and open to the public.
Route 66 was established on Nov. 11, 1926. It originally stretched about 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Dubbed “The Mother Road” by author John Steinbeck, Route 66 became a national symbol of freedom and adventure.
News of the stamps is being shared online with the hashtag #Route66Stamps.
Lowrider stamps
In another nod to local car culture, the USPS will begin issuing its Lowrider Forever stamps in sheets of 15 beginning Friday.
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