Three suspects in burning vehicle slaying plead not guilty
LAS CRUCES - Three suspects have pleaded not guilty to charges in the gruesome slaying of a 20-year-old Las Cruces man found dead in the trunk of a burned vehicle last month.
Three suspects in burning vehicle slaying plead not guilty LAS CRUCES - Three suspects have pleaded not guilty to charges in the gruesome slaying of a 20-year-old Las Cruces man found dead in the trunk of a burned vehicle last month. Check out this story on lcsun-news.com: http://lcsun.co/2eKGbZt
Sun-News Reports, . Published 11:19 a.m. MT Oct. 24, 2016 | Updated 6:31 p.m. MT Oct. 24, 2016
Damika Childs(Photo: Courtesy photo)
Gregory Saavedra, 23, and Damika Childs, 19, were arraigned on Monday before state District Judge Lisa C. Schultz in 3rd Judicial District Court in Las Cruces. They each pleaded not guilty to various charges, including murder and kidnapping.
Gregory Saavedra (Photo: Courtesy photo)
Alejandro Ruiz, 22, waived his arraignment on Oct. 19, online court records show, and entered not guilty pleas to the charges.
The arraignment for the fourth suspect, Adrian Banda, 24, was reset Monday after Banda told the court he had hired a private attorney from Albuquerque.
The four suspects are accused of kidnapping and beating Johnny Ramirez and locking him in the trunk of a white Chrysler and setting it on fire on Sept. 22 on Eclipse Road in the Doña Ana Mountains. They also are accused of kidnapping 24-year-old Erica Mejia, stabbing her in the neck and duct-taping her to the steering wheel of the Chrysler, leaving her to die.
Adrian Banda, in January 2015 (Photo: Courtesy)
Authorities said Mejia managed to escape from the vehicle. She was later airlifted to an El Paso hospital, where she was treated for her injuries.
The four suspects were arrested over a two-week period in late September and early October. They were indicted by a Doña Ana County grand jury on Oct. 13. They are each charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. They also are facing charges of attempted murder, arson and multiple counts of battery, conspiracy and tampering with evidence.
They remain jailed at the Doña Ana County Detention Center without bond.
No trials have scheduled.
Alejandro Ruiz (Photo: Courtesy)
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