ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) A judge in Albuquerque has dismissed murder charges against a man whom the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled was denied his constitutional right to a speedy trial. The Albuquerque Journal reports that District Judge Monica Zamora granted a defense request to dismiss charges against Walter Brown in the 2011 stabbing of James Moore.
Zamora previously refused to dismiss the case but she granted the new request Tuesday in the wake of a Nov. 6 state Supreme Court decision. Brown spent nearly three years in jail while awaiting trial. The Supreme Court ruled that Brown's rights were denied when a judge set a $250,000 bond solely based on Brown's alleged crimes and not whether he was a flight or safety risk.
The New Mexico Constitution presumes that defendants are bailable.
