SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - The New Mexico Supreme Court has upheld the convictions of an Albuquerque man for a 2014 kidnapping and murder in Bernalillo County.
Trinidad Gallegos was sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of Sergio Bickham.
The victim’s body was found in a tunnel underneath Interstate 40 near a casino west of Albuquerque.
In a unanimous decision Thursday, the state’s high court rejected arguments by Gallegos that he failed to receive a fair trial because of what he claimed were mistakes by the trial court and his defense attorney.
Gallegos contended that the testimony of a key prosecution witness should have been excluded.
The court concluded it was harmless error that the trial court allowed police officer testimony concerning an anonymous tip about Gallegos hiding a possible murder weapon.
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