Man accused of killing Ruidoso woman with an ax, shooting deputy charged

UPDATE: Twelfth Judicial District Attorney John P. Sugg announced Monday that a Lincoln County Grand Jury indicted Andrew Poteet Magill on an open count of murder.

Magill is allegedly killed Mary Ann Moorhouse by nearly decapitating her on April 1 at the Coe Ranch in Glencoe, New Mexico, ten miles outside Ruidoso.

If convicted of first degree murder, Magill would face a mandatory life sentence.

The case is being investigated by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the New Mexico State Police and Twelfth Judicial District Attorney’s Office Investigators.

A judge ruled that Magill posed a danger to the community and will remain in jail until his trial.

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A man accused of shooting and wounding a southern New Mexico sheriff’s deputy during a struggle at a hospital is charged in the ax killing of a woman whose head was nearly severed.

A criminal complaint filed Monday charges 25-year-old Andrew Poteet Magill in the killing Saturday night of Mary Ann Moorhouse at a ranch about 10 miles east of the city of Ruidoso Downs.

The complaint says Lincoln County deputies discovered Moorhouse’s body and a blood-covered ax after going to the ranch to check on her welfare in response to a call by a concerned co-worker.

The complaint says and Magill was taken to Lincoln County Medical Center by Ruidoso Downs police after a motorist dropped him off at a fire station. The motorist had reportedly found him walking along Highway 70. Magill was reportedly agitated, had bloodied hands and a laceration on his forehead.

Investigators say Magill began ranting about being Jesus, said he had fought with Satan, had to kill a man and chop off a woman’s head off with an axe.

According to the complaint, a deputy at the hospital was shot in the arm by Magill after he picked up the deputy’s gun when it fell to the floor during a struggle at the hospital.

The deputy was taken to El Paso’s University Medical Center for treatment.

A court official said Magill didn’t have an attorney who could comment on the allegations.

Authorities believe Magill has severe mental health issues — but how and why he allegedly targeted Mary Ann Moorhouse has left many on edge.

Magill is facing a first-degree murder charge and is being held without bond. The deputy’s injury is not considered life-threatening.