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Death Penalty Dropped for Lack of Resources

By Death Penalty Information Center

The state of New Mexico agreed to drop its pursuit of the death penalty against two defendants because the state legislature did not provide the money necessary for adequate representation of the defendants, who were accused of killing a prison guard. The trial of Reis Lopez and Robert Young will proceed as a non-capital murder prosecution. The prosecution's decision was spurred by the trial court's ruling barring the seeking of the death penalty because the legislature had adjourned without sufficiently funding the capital defense system. The state legislature finished its session in February and will not return until January 2009. A previous ruling had said the state legislature should allocate another $200,000 to the defense office after attorneys for the defendants complained about lack of money to meet their fees.continue to full post

Full post as published by Death Penalty Information Center on April 30, 2008 (boomark / email).