Trial to begin Tuesday for Roswell man accused of killing man in Las Cruces

The trial for a Roswell man suspected of stabbing and killing a Las Cruces man in July 2016 is scheduled to begin Tuesday.

Las Cruces police originally charged Rodolfo Martinez, 37, with one count of first-degree murder and one count of tampering with evidence, according to court documents.

Police found a man who had multiple stab wounds near west Picacho Avenue and 17th Street on July 1st, 2016. That man was later identified as Christopher Wray, 46.

Wray was rushed to Mountainview Regional Medical Center and died the next morning, according to police.

Detectives learned that Martinez and Wray were seen by witnesses walking together shortly before the incident, according to court documents. The two men then got into a fight, and Martinez is alleged to have used a unknown sharp-edged object to stab Wray multiple times.

The trial will take place in Third Judicial District Court in Las Cruces. Jury selection was still underway as of noon on Monday.