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Defense Attorneys Paint James Boyd As A Threat

Screenshot from footage taken by then-Officer Dominique Perez' helmet camera

Lawyers delivered opening statements and the Albuquerque Police Department’s chief took the stand in the first day of the trial for two former officers facing murder charges after killing a homeless camper in 2014. 

The video of James Boyd being shot by police was broken down frame-by-frame for the jury, and defense attorneys painted Boyd as a threat to police who wouldn’t surrender his weapons. 

Luis Robles is representing Dominique Perez. "Mr. Boyd was the guy who told everyone else what to do," Robles said. "And what you will hear in the testimony of this case is that empathy doesn’t work with someone who has these grandiose delusions."

Prosecutor Randi McGinn says 19 armed officers had formed a perimeter around Boyd by the time he was shot, and that Boyd brought knives to a gun fight. She said officers escalated the situation and called his death an “intentional killing” by police.

Marisa Demarco began a career in radio at KUNM News in late 2013 and covered public health for much of her time at the station. During the pandemic, she is also the executive producer for Your NM Government and No More Normal, shows focused on the varied impacts of COVID-19 and community response, as well as racial and social justice. She joined Source New Mexico as editor-in-chief in 2021.
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