Family Of New Mexico Woman Shot By Officer In 2013 Paid $3M - Associated Press
Court documents show the state paid the family of a New Mexico woman fatally shot by a state police officer $3 million to keep them from filing a civil lawsuit.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the family had been paid nine months after a grand jury decided the 2013 shooting was justified.
The newspaper initially requested settlement records in 2015. Officials delayed the release, citing a statute allowing payouts to be kept private for a certain amount of time.
Open government advocates believe the state is misreading the law and should have released the information sooner.
Officer Oliver Wilson had been on the job a few weeks when he fired 16 bullets at Jeanette Anaya's vehicle as she fled. Two bullets hit the 39-year-old — one in the head and one in the back.
Old Document Sheds Light On Lawman Who Killed Billy The Kid – Associated Press
Officials in a southern New Mexico county have found a century-old document inside a box of un-archived records that sheds light on the death of the Old West lawman who gained fame for killing Billy the Kid.
Dona Ana County officials say the 1908 coroner's jury report refers to the investigation of the death of former Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett.
Historians long-looked for official documents assigning blame for Garrett's mysterious shooting.
The county says a filing supervisor was combing through un-archived records as part of a preservation effort last fall when she found the handwritten document. Pointing to its value, the county is seeking more grant funding for its preservation work.
The document is locked away in a safety deposit box. The county plans a public unveiling next month.
New Mexico Governor, Democrats Meet Over Budget Stalemate - Associated Press
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez says she's confident agreements will eventually be reached with Democrats as New Mexico looks to solve a budget crisis.
The governor's office says Martinez met Friday with Democratic leadership from the House and Senate.
They discussed restoring funding for higher education, but there appears to still be an impasse over taxes.
The governor reiterated that she won't support any stand-alone tax hikes but that she's hopeful lawmakers will start talking about overall tax reform.
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth has said reform is supported by both sides of the aisle but that the state needs to raise new revenues to fund government services.
Some of the pressure on elected leaders has eased now that state finance officials announced an uptick in tax revenues this week.
Hawaii-Bound Passengers Noticed Unruly Man Before Take-Off - Associated Press
Passengers settling into a six-hour flight to Honolulu noticed an oddly behaving man before the plane took off from Los Angeles.
Law enforcement officials identify the man as Anil Uskanil, a 25-year-old from Turkey. Passengers say he had to be subdued after trying to get to the front of the jetliner and was duct-taped to his seat until the plane landed.
The disturbance prompted the Hawaii National Guard to scramble two fighter jets to escort the plane to Honolulu.
Federal authorities escorted Uskanil off the plane when it landed.
American Airlines says Flight 31 had 181 passengers and six crew members aboard.
New Mexico Unemployment Rate Remains At 6.7 Percent - Associated Press
New Mexico's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in April, the same as March.
A year ago, the state's unemployment rate was 6.6 percent.
The state Department of Workforce Solutions reports that New Mexico's economy added 7,400 jobs between April 2016 and last month.
Six industries added jobs, six posted losses and one was unchanged from March.
Private-sector industries were up 9,000 jobs, representing the largest gain since June 2015.
Leisure and hospitality, which includes accommodation and food services, added 3,300 jobs.
Local government shed 1,600 jobs from March to April while manufacturing was down 900 jobs.
Bernalillo County, the state's most populous county, had a 5.4 percent unemployment rate in April. That was down from 5.8 percent in March.
Las Cruces Police: 3 Men Wounded In Shooting At Residence - Associated Press
Las Cruces says a late-night shooting at a residence left three men wounded.
Police say two of the men are hospitalized in critical condition after being shot multiple times Thursday night and that the third wounded man's injuries aren't life-threatening.
Police spokesman Dan Trujillo says circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation but he says police aren't seeking any suspects at this time.
Identities weren't released.
3 Accused Of Operating A Sex Trafficking Ring In Albuquerque - Associated Press
Federal authorities have accused two men and a woman of operating a sex trafficking ring in Albuquerque.
Prosecutors say 34-year-old Cornelius Galloway, 28-year-old Matthew Woods and 43-year-old Danielle Galloway were indicted on charges of commercial sex trafficking, commercial sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy.
Woods also has been indicted for attempting to recruit a victim.
Cornelius Galloway allegedly ran the sex trafficking organization that started last October.
Prosecutors say two unidentified members of the conspiracy killed two people in January "because their activities were contrary to the objectives of the criminal sex trafficking organization."
Danielle Holloway pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday and was ordered detained pending her trial.
Cornelius Galloway remains detained pending May 22 arraignment and detention hearings.
Woods is facing a May 30 arraignment hearing.
Expert Finds High Alcohol Use In New Mexico 2014 Murder Case - Associated Press
An expert believes a former New Mexico deputy had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal driving limit the night he allegedly killed his partner.
Las Cruces Sun-News reports psychologist Cecile Marczinski gave her testimony at Tai Chan's retrial on Thursday. Chan is accused of murder in Jeremy Martin's 2014 death.
Marczinski says she calculated Chan's blood-alcohol level from that night by using receipts, witness statements, his body weight and an accepted scientific formula.
She thinks Chan most likely had a blood-alcohol level of 0.24 grams per 100 milliliters — three times higher than the legal limit for driving.
The report says Marczinski's calculation was necessary because Chan's blood-alcohol level was not measured the night of the shooting.