FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 7, 2016
Contact: James Hallinan (505) 660-2216
Albuquerque, NM – This afternoon, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that the New Mexico Supreme Court denied review in the case of Genaro Sandoval, who was convicted in 2013 for his 2003 sexual assault of a twelve-year-old boy in an Albuquerque arroyo. Following briefing by the Criminal Appeals Division of the Office of the Attorney General, the Court of Appeals affirmed the convictions and Sandoval’s 41-year sentence. The Supreme Court’s decision to deny further review means that the convictions are final as a matter of state law.
“This case emphasizes in a horrific way the connection between child exploitation and the victimization of New Mexico children,” said Attorney General Balderas. “While we are pleased that justice was served in this case, it also serves as a chilling reminder that police and prosecutors must have the robust tools they need to combat both sexual assault and child exploitation.”
Notably, Sandoval was convicted for creating child pornography because he video-recorded the assault.
Attached are copies of the Court of Appeals memorandum opinion and the Supreme Court’s order denying certiorari review. Also attached is a booking photo of Sandoval.
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