GUILTY NM - Adam Avalos, 29, brutally murdered, Las Cruces, 3 April 2006

New Posts

Chelly

Chelly

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 21, 2013
Messages
18,538
Reaction score
64,417
Jury selection completed today followed by opening statements.


LAS CRUCES >> More than eight years after an inmate was found slashed and beaten to death inside a shower at the Doña Ana County Detention Center, the man accused of the gruesome killing is finally standing trial.

Dominic Martin Montoya, 38, is scheduled to be in state District Court on Monday for the start of what is scheduled as a seven-day trial, according to court calendars.

Montoya, an Albuquerque man with an extensive criminal history that includes a 1999 murder, has been accused of first-degree murder, possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner and evidence tampering. Those charges have been looming over his head since the 2006 killing because of a spate of court delays — one of them bizarre — that resulted in at least 12 trial settings over the years.

It's the oldest pending murder case in 3rd Judicial District Court, records show.

Montoya was being held on robbery charges in April 2006 when he killed 29-year-old Adam Avalos, investigators allege, with a jail-issued razor.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_25964041/trial-start-long-delayed-jail-murder-case
 
Attended opening statements and Day one of Dominic Montoya trial. Montoya is accused of first degree murder, possession of a deadly weapon and evidence tampering in the April 2006 killing of Adam Avalos at the Dona Ana County Detention Center.

Defense atty Todd A. Holmes claims defendant didn't receive necessary medication for his mental disorder while being held on robbery charges at Doña Ana County Detention Center. State claims Montoya had anger issues and attacked Avalos in the shower with a jail-issued razor. Each attorney's opening statements lasted less than one-half hour.

Defense called correction officers, a jail nurse and EMT to stand today along with a forensic pathologist who described Avalos' injuries and performed the autopsy. The autopsy photos were gruesome. The victim's throat was slashed through the jugular. There were razor wounds on face, torso, arms and legs. His body was found naked in a pool of blood just outside the shower stall. Written on the wall in blood above Avalos' body were the words "Will She Love Me", as well as Montoya's initials and his girlfriend's initials and hearts drawn in blood.

Defendant was found sitting on a stool in day room covered in blood, "out of it", dazing at a wall and mumbling.

Trial is expected to last through next week. I was really impressed with both DT and PT. More later.
 
Is this the same courthouse where the Levi Chavez trial was held?
 
Chelly said:
Attended opening statements and Day one of Dominic Montoya trial. Montoya is accused of first degree murder, possession of a deadly weapon and evidence tampering in the April 2006 killing of Adam Avalos at the Dona Ana County Detention Center.

Defense atty Todd A. Holmes claims defendant didn't receive necessary medication for his mental disorder while being held on robbery charges at Doña Ana County Detention Center. State claims Montoya had anger issues and attacked Avalos in the shower with a jail-issued razor. Each attorney's opening statements lasted less than one-half hour.

Defense called correction officers, a jail nurse and EMT to stand today along with a forensic pathologist who described Avalos' injuries and performed the autopsy. The autopsy photos were gruesome. The victim's throat was slashed through the jugular. There were razor wounds on face, torso, arms and legs. His body was found naked in a pool of blood just outside the shower stall. Written on the wall in blood above Avalos' body were the words "Will She Love Me", as well as Montoya's initials and his girlfriend's initials and hearts drawn in blood.

Defendant was found sitting on a stool in day room covered in blood, "out of it", dazing at a wall and mumbling.

Trial is expected to last through next week. I was really impressed with both DT and PT. More later.
Click to expand...

*BBM*
WTH!? Creeeeepy :scared:
 
thank you so much chelly!!! i just love having the insider scoopage by people that are actually attending the trials i watch/follow......:loveyou:

off to read:seeya:
 
Queen Bee said:
omg what a travesty that was......poor tara.......:(
Click to expand...

Agreed.
But I do have to say that watching that trial was one of the more amusing ones I have followed here at WS.
Levi's attorney with his white suits and shoes... :giggle:
Not to mention the horrible stream quality.

But yes, it was pretty much a shocker when that verdict came down.
OK, not so much a shocker because Pros. were not so great, but we still all thought he would be found guilty, his defense was a joke :facepalm:
 
Chell do you know if MSM is following this one well?
Like can we watch along on tweets maybe?

TIA! :seeya:

Are you planning to go every day?
 
Nymeria said:
Is this the same courthouse where the Levi Chavez trial was held?
Click to expand...

Levi Chavez was up in Albuquerque. This trial is in Las Cruces. The Courthouse is a ten minute drive from me. I even went home for lunch and returned for afternoon session.
 
Is this case being streamed by anyone? Local news etc...??
 
Nymeria said:
Chell do you know if MSM is following this one well?
Like can we watch along on tweets maybe?

TIA! :seeya:

Are you planning to go every day?
Click to expand...

Camera set up in court. The morning session was filmed. It isn't a big deal like the Chavez trial. But the defense attorney has a colorful history. Todd A Holmes. He wears his hair is sort of a mullet, short top and sides, very long in back and kind of bleached. If you saw him in jeans, you might think he is a biker, but he is really professional, seems to be well known in these parts and scored some points in court today. Not a fan of defense attorneys. But I got over being judgmental real fast when I saw him at work.
 
Chelly said:
Levi Chavez was up in Albuquerque. This trial is in Las Cruces. The Courthouse is a ten minute drive from me. I even went home for lunch and returned for afternoon session.
Click to expand...

Las Cruces is a very small city, located in southern NM. Local News for us is El Paso TX so news reports are coming out of there. Sorry I don't have much more info. Today was first day of trial. Jury selection apparently took all of yesterday. I nearly fell on my face when I saw the camera man filming all morning. Sat next to one of the security guys who transported Montoya. Will be in court tomorrow and will try to talk to folks.
 
If I tweet it would have to be on my MacBook Air. I didn't bring it today cuz I wasn't sure I could bring it in. Phone use is not allowed in courtroom. But, I took pages of notes today and will do so again tomorrow, so will tweet at breaks. I thought of you guys all day. It was so exciting. I couldn't get over the professionalism of judge and all attorneys. I sat in second row behind Montoya the defendant. He chattered to his counsel during most of the trial.
 
Sounds like a really interesting trial, esp. to be able to see it up close and personal. There doesn't seem to be much doubt that he did it, just the defense that he's mentally ill? Are they going for plain not guilty or does NM have a NG by reason of insanity?
 
Queen Bee said:
thank you so much chelly!!! i just love having the insider scoopage by people that are actually attending the trials i watch/follow......:loveyou:

off to read:seeya:
Click to expand...

Thank you. I'll do my best beginning tomorrow to report on the trial. There is a lot at play here besides the killing. The defendant needed physic meds and wasn't prescribed or given any. There is a medical facility but no mental health professionals at the detention center. The officials that testified stated that Montoya was "out of it", had issues.
 
geevee said:
Sounds like a really interesting trial, esp. to be able to see it up close and personal. There doesn't seemt o eb much doubt that he did it, just the defense that he's mentally ill? Are they going for plain not guilty or does NM have a NG by reason of insanity?
Click to expand...

I believe we have Guilty but Mentally Ill. Montoya's defense attorney states that he is insane, but every time he says the word, prosecution objects, so the best he's show so far is that DM has a disorder. They are going for NG apparently. Gotta tell ya, I saw crime scene photos and autopsy photos like I have never seen before.

The courthouse is really nice and rather new.
 
I envy you being able to go and see it all first hand, the courthouse around here is downtown Houston, an hour's drive, expensive and miserable parking, altogether not worth it, besides, I've had to go down there for jury duty every year or two, going intentionally is counter intuitive. lol
 
Nymeria said:
*BBM*
WTH!? Creeeeepy :scared:
Click to expand...

Yeah, we saw the photos of that blood-writing on the wall. It was in HUGE letters right over the nude, bloody, throat-slashed body.
 
geevee said:
I envy you being able to go and see it all first hand, the courthouse around here is downtown Houston, an hour's drive, expensive and miserable parking, altogether not worth it, besides, I've had to go down there for jury duty every year or two, going intentionally is counter intuitive. lol
Click to expand...

We are an adobe, pueblo style kind of place. We've lots of space to spread out. Courthouse is easy, one floor, southwest style, large parking lot, free parking. Public library across the side street. Police dept and firestation across the street too. You can easily walk from place to place. Most buildings are one or two stories. The tallest building is four floors, Bank of the West. I think a law was passed after that prohibiting any more"tall" buildings....LOL
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Staff online

Members online

... and 252 more.
Total: 3,662 (members: 253, guests: 3,409)

Online statistics

Members online
253
Guests online
3,409
Total visitors
3,662
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
591,726
Messages
17,957,980
Members
228,594
Latest member
woohoo3
Back
Top