Posted on 02/29/2008 9:33:59 AM PST by CedarDave
Gov. Bill Richardson on Thursday tossed the political hot potato of a two-year prison sentence for Marine Elton John Richard II back into the judge's lap— and said he might act if the judge doesn't.
"Governor Richardson is urging the judge in this case to re-evaluate the harsh sentence," said a statement issued late Thursday by Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos. "Should he not take this step, the governor is willing to consider a request for executive clemency," the statement said.
Bernalillo County District Judge Albert "Pat" Murdoch sentenced Richard to two years in state prison last Friday for the Dec. 30, 2004, fatal shooting of Daniel Romero, who was attempting to steal Richard's Ford Bronco from in front of his house. ...
Richard pleaded no contest last October to voluntary manslaughter.
Murdoch said he will not reconsider the sentence. "I worked long and hard on the Elton Richard decision, learned everything I could learn about the facts and the law, and imposed a sentence that is fair under the circumstances," the judge said ...
~~snip~~
The state's self-defense law does not give people the right to chase down and kill a burglar, legal experts have said.
~~snip~~
An intense public outcry yielded over 160 calls and e-mails to the Governor's Office by midweek. Richard, a National Nuclear Security Administration courier with a Q clearance and a gun, left his house armed with a .38 revolver when he heard a noise and went to investigate what he believed was a break-in. Instead, he discovered Romero trying to steal his Bronco.
Richard first tussled with Romero, who held a mallet, in his front yard. He then chased Romero, ordering him to stop. At Paseo del Norte, about a quarter-mile from where Richard lived at the time, Richard fired a single, fatal shot.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
They don't care.
All those other places you named never have things like that happen.
But they kill witnesses to murders, heists and large scale illegal transactions, not witnesses to car radio theft.
I'm going to guess that the dead witnesses whereof you speak were not in court to testify to a single automotive break-in.
So, yes, boosting radios, stealing stash from under the seat ~ whateer.
BTW, in DC your local stuff goes to "federal court".
Took the judges a good long while to decide they had to improve security.
Please provide a link to one of these gang slayings of a witness over a vehicular B&E beef. That would be a fascinating read.
Will keep you in mind. Washington Post probably carried the latest news on witness killers in DC within the last two years. That means “archives” but not yet archives they charge for.
Why isn’t this guy still in the race on the Democrat side? He sounds more reasonable than some of the former Republican candidates.
Referring to Rudy, maybe? Don't be deceived. He's just appears that way. He's a dictatorial ruler who talks a good talk but when push comes to shove is as left-leaning as the rest, especially when it comes to big government projects, nanny-state health care, enviro-wacko banning of energy development, etc.
Do a keyword search on Richardson to get a flavor of his governing style and policies. Also, check out this thread:
I’m sorry about the loss your son suffered and I agree that both perps were POS. I also believe in being armed at home and in your car. But you can’t chase someone down after they have left your property, shoot and kill them for a property crime. And you really can’t do it for someone who has harmed a family member, but you’d be hard pressed to find a jury who would convict in that instance.
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