SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - A jury will resume deliberations Monday in the murder trial of a Santa Fe man charged with fatally beating an elderly man and then setting his body on fire to cover up the crime.
The Santa Fe New Mexican says (https://bit.ly/1zZFS0H ) jurors told a judge in a note last week that they were at “a standstill” in settling on a verdict.
The jury began deliberating Thursday in the case against 28-year-old Anthony Yepez. Though he faces a first-degree murder charge, Yepez could also be found guilty of a lesser murder charge.
Yepez says he fought Oct. 29, 2012 with 75-year-old George Ortiz, his girlfriend’s step-grandfather, after Ortiz punched her.
The defendant says he did not intend to kill him.
The girlfriend, Jeannie Ann Sandoval, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, https://www.sfnewmexican.com
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