LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - A jury in Las Cruces has heard opening statements in the retrial of a former Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputy charged with murder in the 2014 shooting death of a fellow deputy.
Tai Chan’s first trial in the killing of Jeremy Martin ended last year in a mistrial when jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision.
Authorities have said the shooting at a hotel while the deputies were on a work trip stemmed from an alcohol-fueled argument.
Prosecutors have noted that Martin was shot in the back, and the Albuquerque Journal (https://goo.gl/xq6T0o ) reports that District Attorney Mark D’Antonio told jurors Tuesday that Martin was the victim.
Defense attorney Tom Clark said it’s a case of self-defense with one man defending himself against the other “in a life or death struggle.”
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, https://www.lcsun-news.com
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