08 20 14 Roswell Daily Record

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Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

Vol. 123, No. 200 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday

August 20, 2014

WEDNESDAY

Love triangle murder defendant in court today BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER

One of two brothers charged with ambushing and mercilessly killing a Roswell man in June is scheduled to have his preliminary hearing this morning in Chaves County Magistrate Court. Steven Lee Lucero, 30, most recently of 701 E. Ninth St. in Roswell, is scheduled to appear in the Roswell court at 8:30 a.m. today before Magistrate Judge K.C. Rogers on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and

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armed robbery. Lucero’s brother, Gilbert Lucero, 32, most recently of 612 Greenbriar St. in Roswell, faces the same charges in connection to the brutal slaying of Isaiah “Blue” Sanchez on June 4 at a vacant home at 1812 N. Maryland Ave. Both brothers are being held without bond at the Chaves County Detention Center. Both men face possible prison sentences of up to 99 years on the firstdegree murder charges, since New Mexico abolished capital punishment in 2009, and other possible sentences on the remaining charges. Gilbert Lucero’s prelimi-

nary hearing has been rescheduled for Sept. 9 in Chaves County Magistrate Court before Judge John Halvorson. He is being represented by attorney Gary Mitchell, who could not be reached Tuesday. Steven Lucero is being represented by attor ney Jesse Cosby of the 5th Judicial District Public Defenders Office, who also could not be reached Tuesday. If the magistrate judges find probable cause in either case, the cases will be bumped up to 5th Judicial District Court, where felony cases are adjudicated. According to a criminal

complaint, the Lucero brothers plotted the killing of the 30-year-old Sanchez because of his involvement with the ex-wife of Steven Lucero. Authorities said Vanessa Lucero, the ex-wife, lured Sanchez to the for mer home of Gilbert Lucero at 1812 N. Maryland Ave., where the Lucero brothers were lying in wait and attacked him with a gun and knives. The Lucero brothers shot and stabbed Sanchez repeatedly, leaving him still breathing face down in a pool of blood in the home’s kitchen, court records state. Officer Robert Scribner of

Dylanne Petros Photo

Silvia Henson receives a check for her house that is being built by the Habitat for Humanity. At right is Rick Spragins, chairman of the Rotary Desert Sun Golf Classic. At left is Travis Hicks of Desert Sun Motor.

Henson to receive Habitat for Humanity home moving into their very own house thanks to ef forts from the Rotary Desert Sun Golf Classic and Silvia Henson and her five children will soon be Habitat for Humanity.

BY DYLANNE PETROS RECORD STAFF WRITER

The Rotary Desert Sun County J.O.Y. Center, Golf Classic hosted its Boys & Girls Club, Big tournament in July and Brothers Big Sisters, Red raised $34,500 for local See HOME, Page A2 charities including Chaves

Steven Lucero

Gilbert Lucero

the Roswell Police Department, who wrote the criminal complaint for both Luceros, said there were several areas of blood on the home’s ceiling.

“(I) observed a very large amount of blood in the kitchen on appliances, kitchen cabinets, walls,

BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR

pliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. During a state level plans review, it was determined that the elevator was not in compliance with the ADA. The event that triggered the noncompliance with the federal law was the staff submitting plans for an upgrade to the fire alarm. While the alarm plans were being reviewed, it was noted that the elevator was not within specification of ADA. “An elevator in a normal office building would last about 20 years,” said Tim Williams, director of the Parks and Recreation Department. “It [the elevator, a 1995 model] is used just a few times a day so it is like it has only three years [use] on it.” Williams added that ADA does not have a grandfather clause that allows buildings erected prior to

Workshops on Yucca’s future to begin Saturday The city Parks & Recreation Committee and Commission will begin holding workshops this weekend to get public input on the fate of the Yucca Recreation Center. The first workshop will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Yucca Recreation Center, said Tabitha Denny, city councilor and parks committee chairwoman. “The first meeting will be held at the Yucca Center, and the rest will be held at other locations,” Denny said on Tuesday. “We want to have the meetings at various locations and times so we can get input from as many different people as possible.” In July, the Yucca Recreation Center had to close parts of the facility due to accessibility problems — the facility was not in com-

See MURDER, Page A3

Authorities: ICE has United Way kicks off 2014 campaign resumed deportations

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Federal authorities said this week that they resumed deporting immigrants housed at a temporary New Mexico center after a quarantine stemming from a few cases of chickenpox was lifted. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement late Monday that the agency resumed removal flights back to Central America on Aug. 7. Since then, 71 immigrant adults and children from the center have been deported, officials said. “ICE Health Service Corp. personnel have been clear-

ing residents who have immunity to chicken pox, such as those who have already had the disease, or have been fully immunized through vaccination,” the statement said. “Once medically cleared, residents who have a final order of removal and a valid travel document may be repatriated.” Speaking at an event in Ber nalillo, Gov. Susana Martinez said the immigrants have been given “full due process” and have had time to make their case. “They get to go to court See FLETC, Page A2

BY TIMOTHY P. HOWSARE RECORD EDITOR

Kathleen Freeman’s family moved away from Montgomery, Ala., during the early 1960s to get away from the racial hatred and graphic violence that Americans watched night after night on their black-and-white television sets. Several members of her African-American family were active in the Civil Rights Movement, which made them frequent targets of racist white Southerners. Her grandfather was killed by the Ku Klux Klan and her mother was attacked by police dogs.

Brian Shea, left, director of activities and athletics for Roswell Independent School District, discusses the academic and athletic success of the district’s student athletes while Kiwanis Club President Ed David listens on Tuesday in Roswell.

HIGH 91 LOW 68

TODAY’S FORECAST

Freeman, who was guest speaker at Monday’s United Way of Chaves County campaign kickoff, told a crowd of around 300 that her father no longer wanted his family to be subjected to hate and violence, so he decided to move his family away from the Deep South.

From serving in the military, Freeman’s father had friends all over the country, and one happened to live in Albuquerque. Freeman said her family made a trip to Albuquerque and loved New Mexico, so that is where the family decided to relocate.

Timothy P. Howsare Photo

Kathleen Freeman moments after her compelling speech on how local United Way agencies helped her and her children overcome domestic violence. Freeman is now a child care worker for Assurance Home, which is a United Way of Chaves County member agency. Sitting next to Freeman is her second husband, Bobby.

Shea: Student athletes excel on field, in class See CAMPAIGN, Page A3

Student Athletes in the Roswell Independent School District consistently demonstrate their prowess both in the classroom and on the fields, says Brian Shea, director of activities and athletics. “They have to have the academics, and it has been shown over and over again that student athletes also achieve well in academics,” Shea told the Roswell Kiwa-

nis Club on Tuesday. “Student athletes are students first, and students involved in athletics often have better attendance and better grades,” Shea said. Roswell students claimed 15 of 19 district championships in various sports last year, and this year promises to be just as exciting. Shea also noted that Roswell schools are now participating in 6A districts and Lovington will be join-

• JESSIE R. CALZADA • ADELA LUPE MONTOYA SANCHEZ • CAROLYN BERTRAND HANKS

• ESEQUIEL E. CHAVEZ • LUE MILLICENT RUE PURCELLA • OLIVIA T. CARRASCO

BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR

Randal Seyler Photo

See YUCCA, Page A3

TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A8

ing the district. “We will have a four-school district now.”

Shea said the change from 5A to 6A came about when the state athletic association did away with the “B” classification.

One of the reasons student athletes tend to do better in school are the attendance requirements. “If you don’t come to school, you don’t get to participate, and for a lot of the kids, the reason they come to school is to particiCLASSIFIEDS ..........B7 COMICS .................B6 ENTERTAINMENT ...A10 FINANCIAL ..............B4

pate in sports,” Shea said. Shea said one of the district’s volleyball teams not only were state champions, the volleyball team had a composite GPA of more than 4.0. Character also counts, and the Roswell district stresses good sportsmanship and character development in its many athletic programs. “We stress participation with character, and our

INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .......A10

LOTTERIES .............A2

See SHEA, Page A2 OPINION .................A4

SPORTS .................B1

WEATHER ............A10


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