Violence, politics and budget cuts top NM news
Crimes against children, police officers spur calls for tougher punishments
On the day Victoria Martens was going to celebrate her 10th birthday, she was found dead in her family’s apartment by Albuquerque police officers, her dismembered remains wrapped in a smoldering blanket.
It wouldn’t be long before more unspeakable details about the girl’s final moments would be unearthed by investigators and her mother and two others charged with the crime.
The brutality of Victoria’s slaying sent shock waves through New Mexico in August, but it marked only one of a handful of heartbreaking cases involving children in 2016.
On the Navajo Nation, 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike was lured by a man into his van as she and her brother played near their bus stop after school in early May. Authorities say it was at a remote spot in the shadow of a rock outcropping held sacred by the tribe that the man assaulted her, struck her in the head with a crowbar and left her to die.
In Roswell, a father of four was charged with murder in June after, authorities say, he shot and killed his four daughters and wife in the family home before fleeing to Mexico.
Three children were killed in Albuquerque less than a month before Christmas when, authorities say, their mother’s exboyfriend ambushed them at home.
From remote corners to the state’s most populous city, the cases spurred elected officials to call for everything from prayers and community unity to tougher punishments for those who hurt children.
Here are the other top stories of the year:
Elections
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign dominated headlines nationwide in 2016, including in New Mexico, when a rally by the celebrity businessman prompted violence in Downtown Albuquerque. Thousands of supporters attended the rally, while rioters outside threw rocks at police and knocked down barriers, prompting authorities to lob smoke bombs and pepper spray.
New Mexico Republicans unseated Sen. Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, the longtime Senate majority floor leader, during the November general election, but Democrats won back the majority in the House to restore what has amounted to decades of control by the party over the state Legislature.
Former Gov. Gary Johnson finished as a distant also-ran in the presidential contest as a Libertarian candidate. Johnson got 9.3 percent of the New Mexico vote, opening the door for Libertarians to get majorparty recognition and public funding for elections in the state.
Budget crunch
One of the chief budget hawks in the New Mexico Senate warned over the summer that the state was headed for a financial crisis and pushed for a special legislative session to close a budget gap of more than a half-billion dollars. Spending at most state agencies was cut, and reserves were nearly tapped out.
New Mexico’s budget woes were linked to a downturn in energy markets. The state is still feeling the effects, and lawmakers are warning that cuts will have to be made across the board and tax increases considered if New Mexico is to balance its books in the coming fiscal year.
Police officers on trial
Two former Albuquerque police officers who shot and killed a homeless man in March 2014 stood trial in October on second-degree murder charges in a case that scrutinized how police handle encounters with people suffering from mental illness. Jurors couldn’t agree on whether to convict or acquit Dominique Perez and Keith Sandy, voting 9-3 for acquittal, and leading the judge to declare a mistrial.
It’s up to incoming District Attorney Raúl Torrez to decide whether to retry the men. A decision is expected in early January.
Officers shot
The case also spurred questions about the way deadly shootings involving police officers are investigated and prosecuted. The state attorney general and others have suggested that the Legislature provide more funding for independent reviews to avoid conflicts of interest in such cases.
In August, officer Jose Chavez was killed during a traffic stop in the southern New Mexico village of Hatch. Less than a month later, Alamogordo police officer Clint Corvinus was shot and killed while trying to chase down a wanted felon. It marked the second straight year in which two officers were killed in New Mexico.
The officers’ deaths, along with the deadly crimes against children, prompted the governor to push for reinstating the death penalty for criminals convicted of killing children and law enforcement officers. Her efforts failed during the special session, and its chances of passing in 2017 have dimmed now that Democrats have regained the majority in the House.
Nuclear repository
After nearly three years, state and federal officials gave the all-clear just days before the end of the year to resume work at the nation’s only underground nuclear waste repository, in southern New Mexico. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant had been closed since February 2014 when a radiation release contaminated a significant portion of the storage area below ground. U.S. Energy Department officials said corrective actions have been taken and workers are ready to begin moving containers of waste underground.
Mine spill lawsuit
New Mexico in May became the first state to sue the federal government and the owners of two mines over the release of 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater from a closed Colorado gold mine, seeking tens of millions of dollars for environmental and economic damage caused by the spill. New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said the Gold King Mine spill has had a devastating effect on communities, and that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should be held to the same standards it would impose on private companies accused of polluting.
Inmate escape
Two violent felons fled from the back of a prison van in March, setting off a statewide manhunt that lasted for days. Convicted murderer Joseph Cruz and Lionel Clah, who was serving time for armed robbery and shooting at a police officer, escaped after the van made a nighttime fuel stop at an Artesia gas station. Since then, officials have removed power locks and door handles from the interior of roughly a dozen Corrections Department vans. Officials also spent $700,000 on new vans, buses, a medical transport unit and other equipment.
Food stamp flap
A federal judge approved the appointment of a special master to help ensure the New Mexico Human Services Department complies with unfulfilled court orders and federal law in the administration of federally funded benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly called food stamps. The move came amid internal investigations by state and federal agencies into allegations that food aid applications were falsified by the department.
Gov. Susana Martinez and economic development officials celebrated a big catch in September when they announced social media giant Facebook had chosen New Mexico for its newest data center. They pointed to the multimillion-dollar project as an opportunity to draw more high-tech economic development to the state in hopes of diversifying an economy that has relied heavily for decades on federal spending and oil and gas revenues.