Jurors in New Mexico convict extended family on kidnapping charges; 2 convicted on terrorism charges

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Jurors have convicted four members of an extended family in a federal kidnapping case stemming from the search for a missing 3-year-old boy by agents who raided their squalid New Mexico encampment in 2018. Two of those on trial were also convicted on related terrorism charges.

Jurors heard weeks of testimony from forensic experts, firearm specialists and doctors. They also heard heartbreaking testimony from Hakima Ramzi, the mother who had been searching for her son, and from three children who were among 11 found living at the compound with their parents.

The badly decomposed remains of Ramzi’s son were eventually found in an underground tunnel at the compound on the outskirts of Amalia near the Colorado line. Authorities allege the family engaged in firearms and tactical training in preparation for attacks against the government, tied to an apparent belief that the boy would be resurrected as Jesus Christ and provide instructions.