Former NMSU basketball player to appear in court virtually

Las Cruces, N.M. (KVIA) -- Deshawndre Washington, the former New Mexico State University men's basketball player who delayed his hazing case twice in August, will allegedly appear in court virtually for a motion hearing on Monday.

This comes three months after Washington failed to appear in a Doña Ana County courthouse on Aug. 3 and Aug. 5 for the beginning of his trial. He was playing in a basketball tournament overseas in Lebanon.

He's accused of 15 felonies tied to an alleged hazing scandal that happened during the 2022-23 basketball season at NMSU.

According to the New Mexico Department of Justice, which is now overseeing Washington's case, his failure-to-appear charge from August will be dismissed. The department on Friday said the charge "was complicating the extradition process."

However, the NMDOJ said that once Washington returns to the U.S., the department may consider refiling the charge. 

Washington has been playing professional basketball in Beirut, Lebanon, in recent months for the club Sagesse S.C., in which ABC-7 can confirm he was playing a game on Aug. 3, the day of his first scheduled court appearance in Las Cruces.

ABC-7 has also learned that Washington was playing for Sagesse as recently as Nov. 4, and that the team is scheduled to play again on Saturday.

Washington's agent, Kerry Carter, told ABC-7 he will appear in court virtually for a motion hearing Monday at 1:30 p.m.

There's also an arraignment hearing scheduled for 8 a.m. that morning, according to court records. However, it focuses on the failure-to-appear charge, which is being dismissed.

As for the 1:30 p.m. motion hearing on Monday, numerous defense motions are expected to be brought forward to Doña Ana County District Judge Conrad Perea, including a motion to dismiss Washington's case entirely over alleged prosecutorial misconduct, per court records.