Shooting suspect to be released from jail
One of four co-defendants charged with murder in the 2018 fatal shooting of an Alcalde teenager will be released from the McKinley County jail following a judge’s decision Wednesday.
State District Judge Maria Sanchez-Gagne ruled during a pretrial detention hearing for Brittany Garcia that she can be released on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor until her trial.
Garcia, 22, is accused of driving one of the cars involved in the shooting death of Cameron Martinez, an 18-year-old Española Valley High School graduate who was killed in October 2018 while driving on N.M. 68 near the Ohkay Hotel Casino.
Garcia has been charged with first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and multiple counts of conspiracy. She is the only co-defendant in the case facing a murder charge who is not accused of being a shooter.
District Judge Jason Lidyard ruled in May to keep Garcia jailed without bond until her trial.
Defense attorney Lisa Torraco argued Wednesday that some statements made by co-defendants — which were not presented at Garcia’s initial detention hearing — indicate she was not involved in the shooting. According to transcripts of interviews, another defendant told investigators Garcia did not want Mark Hice, the lead defendant in the case, to continue firing at the car carrying Cameron Martinez and several of his friends, Torraco said.
Torraco also cited concerns associated with the novel coronavirus and the distance she had to travel to speak with her client as reasons for allowing Garcia’s release.
She would have to travel more than two hours to McKinley County to visit Garcia in the jail, Torraco said.
Garcia’s trial is scheduled to begin in June, but that may change due to social-distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.