SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The New Mexico Supreme Court has reduced a Hobbs man’s first-degree murder conviction to second-degree murder in a 2014 shooting, saying there was evidence that the killing was intentional but not that it was done with deliberate intent.
Thursday’s ruling says Enrique Carmona’s killing of 28-year-old Jose Meza after an argument and fistfight involving several men appeared to be impulsive, occurred in a very short period of time and wasn’t planned.
The prosecution contended the killing was deliberate because Carmona removed a gun from his pocket, switched it to another hand, cocked the gun, put it near Meza’s head and pulled the trigger.
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Carmona had been sentenced to life in prison - or 30 years before being eligible for parole - on the first-degree murder charge. Prosecutors say the lesser charge of second-degree murder carries a 15-year sentence.
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