LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) A jury has acquitted a Las Cruces woman who was charged with second-degree murder in a 2012 stabbing of another woman during a brawl at a birthday party. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports Thursday's verdict frees 24-year-old Jacklyne Legaretta.
According to some witnesses, 22-year-old Delia Vasquez was trying to break up the fight during a party on Oct. 14, 2012. Legaretta didn't testify during her trial but she had told police previously that she didn't intend to stab Vasquez. She said she grabbed and swung the knife only to ward off an attack.
Legaretta could have faced 15 years in prison if convicted.
