Month: April 2010

Moments away from death one night in March 2000 in the desert near northeast El Paso, Sophia Martinez asked her assailant to let her hold a picture of a younger brother. On Thursday afternoon, Martinez’s family witnessed the execution of her killer, William Josef Berkley, in Huntsville, Texas. It wasn’t something they needed to do

Below are statements released by El Paso Congressman Silvestre Reyes and the Border Network of Human Rights regarding the passing of the Arizona illegal immigration law. Statement from Silvestre Reyes EL PASO, TEXAS – Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) released the following statement today urging Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto SB-1070. Tomorrow is the deadline

El Paso Police Dept. Investigaters said on Friday that the death of 19-year-old George Springer in March has been ruled accidental and due to acute cocaine toxicity by the County Medical Examiner’s Office. It is believed that Springer was alone when he died, according to police officials. Spring was found near Clndenin Elementary. Police say

Antonio Escalante will not fight on May 7 in El Paso against Argentina’s Carlos Ricardo Rodriguez due to an elbow injury, according to his manager. Escalante is dealing with an elbow injury that has been bothering him for six months. His manger, Lester Bedford, tells ABC-7 it is nerve entrapment of the elbow and tendonitis.

El Pasoans know how to treat their Diablos players. For years, fans would give Diablos players a little walking-around money by rewarding the players with $1 bills after hitting a homerun. Now, El Pasoans are going a step futher. For the next three months 22 Diablos players will call the Sun City home, many choosing

He allegedly wouldn’t leave his ex alone – now a Chaparral High School teacher is serving serious detention. Students will not find Samuel Mario Lara inside a classroom anytime soon. This is not Lara’s first brush with the law. As ABC-7 reported, Lara was convicted of murder as a teenager. But even with a murder

At 79-years-old, El Paso historian Leon Metz isn’t shy to admit he hasn’t read all the books in his impressive home library. In fact, the self-proclaimed “hillbilly from West Virginia” has trouble finding the titles he’s written himself. But oddly enough it was at a West Virginia library where Metz, then 14, met his destiny.

First-time claims for jobless benefits fell last week, evidence that employers are laying off fewer workers. But claims remain too high to signal steady job creation. Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 456,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That nearly matched analysts’ estimates, according to Thomson Reuters. The drop

A Dona Ana County teacher has been arrested after his ex-girlfriend says he threatened to kill her and wouldn’t stop calling her. He’s been charged with aggravated stalking and this isn’t the 31-year-old’s first brush with the law. “I don’t trust my teachers very much anymore because of that,” Cromwell Morgan said, his confidence shaken

FACTS OF THE CRIME Eighteen-year-old Sophia Martinez left her El Paso home at about ten p.m. on March 10, 2000, to meet a blind date. About twenty minutes later, bank ATM security cameras near Sophia’s home recorded a man with a handgun approach Sophia?s car and fire a shot into the vehicle, after Sophia made

William Josef Berkley, 31, was executed Thursday for fatally shooting an El Paso high school senior after robbing and sexually assaulting her more than a decade ago. He died at about 5:18 El Paso time. Berkley was condemned to death for the March 2000 slaying of 18-year-old Sophia Martinez, whose body was found in the

William Josef Berkley will have three witnesses at his scheduled execution but the family of Sophia Martinez were still undecided if they would watch the execution. Berkley was convicted in 2002 for the March 2000 murder of Sophia Martinez. Berkley’s witnesses will be his girlfriend Samantha M. Gray, his friend and one of his attorneys

In his final interview, William Josef Berkley continued to maintain his innocence in the 2000 rape and murder of Sophia Martinez. Berkley was convicted of Martinez’s murder in 2002. It has left him with the label “murderer” – a label he vehemently rejects. “”If you want to believe that that’s fine,” Berkley said Wednesday afternoon.

Less than two hours after William Josef Berkley is executed, El Pasoans will gather at St. Patrick Cathedral to hold a vigil. The El Paso Chapter of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and the Criminal Justice Ministry of St. Patrick Cathedral believe the death penalty should be abolished. Berkley is scheduled to

UTEP students will vote this week to decide whether or not to pass a fee increase. The increase would mean students would pay up to $8 more per credit hour or about $96 more per semester. UTEP officials say the money from the proposed fee would go to the university’s athletic department and help pay

The following intersections are being studied for the red light camera program in El Paso. Montwood and Lee Trevino. Montwood and Zaragoza. Montwood and Yarbrough. North Desert and North Mesa. South Desert and North Mesa. Yandell and Mesa. Diana and Dyer. Fairbanks and Dyer.

The goal of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to help victims and avoid the heartbreak that comes for so many families. But El Paso’s MADD chapter needs help to continue their services. It is short about $3,000 for its budget. “I went to the first meeting probably about a week after Valerie passed away,” said

For those who can’t go to Chick-Fil-A on Zaragoza Thursday to support MADD, they can still donate by clicking here. Or mail a donation to: MADD West Texas 6070 Gateway East, suite 217 El Paso, Texas 79905

El Paso Police issued 40 citations for underage drinking when officers busted a party at 10:47 a.m. Tuesday in Northeast El Paso. Ages of those cited ranged from high school teens to 20-year-olds. One of the students who attended the party told ABC-7 it started at 8:30 a.m. Police found forty empty beer cans, two

RadioShack’s Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Jason McCartney are confirmed to race as Team Mellow Johnny’s at the SRAM Tour of the Gila near Silver City, New Mexico, according to competitive cycling Website VeloNews.com. The race starts April 28 and lasts through May 2. Leipheimer won the Gila last year. “Not only do the state

Go Banking Rates, an online provider of national and local bank rates and personal finance products, has recognized El Paso as one of its top cities to bank in because of its high 1.49 percent APY average interest rate on deposit accounts. “The city also has a great variety of banks with five local El

EL PASO, Tx — Numbers out today show red light cams are keeping drivers out of wrecks. The police department says serious crashes at intersections with cameras are down 34% since october 2006. That’s when most red light cams in town went live. More than 75-thousand citations have gone out. Right now, there are 23

A man found guilty of criminal negligent homicide three years ago was sentenced to 10 years in jail Tuesday. In 2007, the defendant, Gerardo Salcido, was found guilty of criminal negligent homicide in the killing of Matthew Cubillos, but a jury was unable to determine a proper sentence. His sentence was pending in court for

On Monday El Paso district court judge David Guaderrama sentenced former Naked Harem manager Maria Brooks to eight years in prison after she pleaded guilty to hiring underage dancers and promoting prostitution. Brooks entered her plea before the judge as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. The former manager pleaded guilty to two counts

The off-duty El Paso Police officer who shot and paralyzed a man on April 1 has received several commendations and also has been suspended during his career with the department. The ABC-7 I-team has learned police officer Jorge Gonzalez–who pulled the trigger– has also been ordered to take anger management classes as part of one

Las Cruces Police have arrested a 34-year old man in connection with a stabbing that occurred Sunday. Jesse Israel Duran, 34, of the 500 block of south Mesquite Street, was found at his home Monday evening. Initially, he refused to comply with officers from the Las Cruces Police Department and U.S. Marshals Service and barricaded

Adding weight to an already heavy stack of books. Students at New Mexico State University can expect to fork over even more green next semester. NMSU Board of Regents approved tuition increases for the 2010-2011 school year. “I’m basically ready to support this, but I’m going to hold my nose doing it,” Regent Javier Gonzales

Increased patrols, more local law enforcement, and a surge of National Guard Members. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced Wednesday a plan to help combat violence in the southwest corner of the state. “I believe it’s time now we join arms and ask for national support in terms of military,” Columbus Police Chief A.I. Vega

Two cases of beer, three teenagers on the run – one of them, shot to death. Dona Ana County Sheriff’s say 17-year-old Nick Dominguez attacked and threatened a deputy which cost Dominguez his life in what authorities say began as a beer run at the Mesquite Mercantile. “[Beer run suspects] are usually subjects who have

A tornado in Las Cruces. Maybe you cannot remember the last time you saw a funnel cloud touch down in the Borderland, but chances are you do remember last week?s winds. Should a weather emergency strike, New Mexico State University is prepared. NMSU teamed up with the National Weather Service to make its campus the