Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Deputy James McGrane Jr., who was shot in the face and died almost instantly during an early-morning traffic stop in Tijeras in 2006.
Michael Paul Astorga
DA, Defense React To Astorga Case Developments
The state's highest court is allowing death penalty prosecutions to continue in New Mexico.
The state Supreme Court on Thursday said it will not consider a constitutional challenge to the death penalty made by an Albuquerque man accused of killing a Bernalillo County sheriff's deputy. New Mexico has repealed the death penalty, but only for crimes that occur after July.
Michael Paul Astorga is charged with first-degree murder in the 2006 shooting of Deputy James McGrane Jr. during a traffic stop.
Astorga's lawyers had asked the Supreme Court to declare the death penalty unconstitutional. The court heard arguments in May, but decided not to issue a ruling. The case goes back to district court, allowing Astorga's trial to proceed.
http://www.koat.com/news/20973549/detail.html
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