One-time fugitive pleads no contest in 1984 shooting
Posted August 11, 2016 7:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A man who lived for decades as a fugitive before his arrest last year on a murder charge has pleaded no contest in the 1984 shooting death of his brother-in-law.
Valentin Vasquez, a Mexican national, entered the plea Wednesday in New Mexico court. He is scheduled to be sentenced on murder and aggravated battery charges on Oct. 6.
A district attorney's spokesman says Vasquez will be deported after he completes his prison term.
Vasquez was arrested in December in Moline, Illinois, after he was involved in a minor traffic accident and identified himself to officers using a name similar to his own.
Officers looked him up and found he was the suspect in the shooting death in Albuquerque of Juan Gutierrez.
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