Man Pleads ‘No Contest’ To Robbery And Aggravated Assault Charges
LAS CRUCES, NM – The man accused of burglarizingthe Elks Lodgeand then stabbing the man who allegedly helped him changed his plea to “no contest.”
21-year-old Gary Oliver will not contest charges of larceny and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. He faces up to 14 years in prison if convicted.
According to prosecutors, Oliver broke into the Elks Lodge in Las Cruceswith a friend and stole $20,000. A Statement of Facts details how Oliver met up with some friends at a strip club after the robbery. While there, he got into a physical altercation. The document further states that Oliver’s friends made fun of him for apparently losing the fight once the group had gone back to his home.
Prosecutors say Oliver reacted to the jokes by stabbing his friend, Daniel Cordova, in the chest. Cordova was the same man who allegedly helped Oliver burglarize the Elks Lodge.
“He went into the kitchen and grabbed an 8-inch knife. He then said to Mr. Garner, a witness, ‘you wanna see something crazy?’ At that point, he stabbed Mr. Cordova in the chest,” says Prosecutor Bill Kinsella.
Oliver is currently undergoing a 60-day psychiatric examination while he awaits sentencing.
The defense attorney for Daniel Cordova tells ABC-7 his client had nothing to do with therobbery of the Elks Lodge and will fight the charges in court.
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Written and reported for broadcast by Doug Wernet
Written for the web by Joe Villasana
