LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - A former New Mexico sheriff’s deputy accused in the 2014 shooting death of a fellow deputy during what authorities described as an alcohol-fueled dispute at a Las Cruces hotel is facing a third trial.
Prosecutors announced Tuesday that they intend to retry Tai Chan on murder charges after two previous mistrials.
Chan was charged with first-degree murder in the October 2014 death of Jeremy Martin.
The two Santa Fe County deputies had stopped in Las Cruces for the night after transporting an inmate and had been drinking before the shooting.
Responding officers found Martin wounded and staggering off one of the hotel’s elevator that night. He was taken to a Las Cruces hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Martin was unarmed, prosecutors have said.
An autopsy showed Martin was shot in the back and had other injuries that appeared related to a fight.
Chan was found in a stairwell near the hotel’s roof. Prosecutors said that he was trying to hide.
Chan says he acted in self-defense.
His first trial ended in a hung jury in June 2016.
Jurors also couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict in the second trial that ended last month.
“After consulting extensively with the family of Deputy Jeremy Martin, we have decided to pursue a third trial in the case against Mr. Chan,” District Attorney Mark D’Antonio said in a statement. “We feel this is what justice demands - for Deputy Martin and the family he left behind … We are fully committed to moving forward with this case.”
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, https://www.lcsun-news.com
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