Prosecutors seek more funding to cover child’s death trials

Prosecutors are asking the New Mexico Legislature for more funding to cover the costs of the trials of three people charged in the death of a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl.

KRQE-TV reports the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office is requesting $600,000 to take to trial the defendants accused of killing Victoria Martens, who was raped and dismembered in her home in August 2016.

District Attorney Raul Torrez says authorities are working around the clock to prepare for the case and have put in additional investigative work.

The girl’s mother Michelle Martens, her boyfriend Fabian Gonzales and his cousin Jessica Kelley are awaiting trial. They have pleaded not guilty.

The mother is expected to be tried in July. The other trials are scheduled for October and the following January.