Man extradited from Mexico to stay jailed until murder trial – Associated Press
A New Mexico state judge in Roswell has ordered that a man extradited from Mexico remain in jail while awaiting trial in the 2020 strangulation killing of the mother of his young son.
Judge Thomas Lilley on Friday denied bond for Jorge Rico-Ruvira after state and district prosecutors argued that the 34-year-old man was dangerous and that no conditions of release would protect the community.
Rico-Ruvira is charged with murder in the killing of Isela Sanchez, 27.
An Amber Alert was issued for the son when the father fled to Mexico, but officials announced last year that the boy had been found safe.
According to court records, a judge in January appointed temporary kinship guardians for the child.
Rico-Ruvira is also charged with child abuse.
Authorities have alleged that Rico-Ruvira left Sanchez's daughter, who was 7 at the time, alone in the house with the mother's body when he fled with the couple's son.
New Mexico woman found guilty in 2018 double murder – Associated Press
A New Mexico jury has reached a guilty verdict for a female defendant accused of killing her ex-boyfriend with the help of a new boyfriend in 2018.
Prosecutors argued that Cristal Cardenas and Luis Flores tried to hire a hitman to kill the father of Cardenas' daughter, and did it themselves when it didn't work out.
A jury found Cardenas guilty Friday, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports. Cardenas said in the trial that she didn't kill the couple, and her lawyer argued it could have been someone else, like a drug gang.
Cardenas' ex, Mario Cabral, and his girlfriend, Venessa Mora Rodriguez, were shot dead at their home in Garfield, a town in the southern part of the state.
Mora Rodriguez' daughter testified that she heard the gunshots and found them dead.
Flores, accused of firing the shots that killed the couple, faces a trial scheduled for April.
New Mexico health official mark two years of pandemic – By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
New Mexico's top health official observed a moment of silence Friday in remembrance of the 7,050 people who have died in the state since the pandemic began.
Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. David Scrase marked the two-year anniversary of New Mexico's first confirmed COVID-19 infections during a virtual briefing with reporters, noting that new infections and hospitalizations have dropped dramatically in recent weeks.
Still, he said COVID-19 is a serious disease and the state is making plans to ensure it will be prepared in the event of another surge caused by a new variant. He described it as a "constant state of readiness."
"We don't know what's going to happen next. We don't know what to expect for sure but we are getting ready," Scrase said, pointing to the experience the world had more than a century ago with the influenza pandemic. "You don't know that it's over until it's really over."
It was March 11, 2020, when Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a public health emergency and ordered most state employees to start working from home. She also urged people to avoid traveling or gatherings to slow the spread of the virus.
Her declaration followed confirmation of the first COVID-19 infections in the state. Officials at the state health lab had worked through the night to make the determination.
As of today, about 1 in 4 New Mexicans have had a confirmed case.
Of the cases reported over the last four weeks, state data shows 56% of infections have been among those who are vaccinated — including those who have received booster shots. Still, the unvaccinated make up higher percentages when it comes to hospitalizations and death.
While more than 78% of New Mexico adults are vaccinated, the effort to push the number higher has all but stalled and less than half of those who are eligible have received booster shots.
New Mexico has lifted many public health restrictions, including its mask mandate for most public indoor spaces. While school districts can set their own mask policies, the only state-mandated mask requirement still in place is for children returning to school after testing positive and isolating for five days.
As of this week, less than one-quarter of the 149 schools and districts that reported data to the state Public Education Department indicated they were still requiring masks. Education Secretary Kurt Steinhaus said in a statement Friday that he's delighted that declining infection rates have allowed the state to turn more decision-making over to the districts and charter school leaders.
"We've waited a long time — working hard and learning as we went — to get to this point," Steinhaus said. "My greatest hope is we can continue safely learning and teaching in-person."
Scrase said New Mexico's public health order will remain in place as long as the federal emergency designation continues. He explained that people getting federal food assistance or help through other social programs have received more than an extra $1 billion of benefits related to the pandemic.
"We are tied to that federal wagon and will want to maintain those benefits as long as we can," he said.
Scrase also acknowledged that the pandemic has been devastating for many families but there are still things to be thankful for.
"I think many of us have learned new things," he said. "Many of us have grown, many of us have changed, many of us have learned to appreciate when we get that time to spend with family."