Thursday, January 15, 2015
2 Albuquerque officers charged with murder; another suspect with body armor killed
In a move that is rare for officers accused of using excessive force, the Albuquerque, NM D.A. directly filed murder charges against two officers. As allowed by law, he bypassed the grand jury and filed the charges directly. This is just the latest development in the continuing sage of excessive force allegations against Albuq. police. It appears that the protests have had an effect. Prosecutors are loathe to charge cops with crimes as they are dependent on the police. A more recent event, adds a new troubling dimension to the use of force issues. Albuq. police shot and killed a man firing on officers. The man was wearing body armor. Let's hope body armor doesn't become a standard part of suspect's wardrobes.
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A murder charge? Manslaughter maybe, but murder? Albuquerque's DA may have taken a PC misstep given the circumstances of the reported face off.
ReplyDeleteProsecutors typically overcharge and perhaps the notoriety of the case caused him to do so. The charges can be amended later. The judge will throw out a murder charge if there's no evidence and juries usually have the option of finding guilt on lesser included offenses (e.g. voluntary manslaughter)
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