For Immediate Release:
March 11, 2022
Contact: Jerri Mares — (505) 321-4372
ROSWELL, NM — Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas and 5th Judicial District Attorney Dianna Luce argued that Jorge Rico-Ruvira is dangerous and there are no conditions of release that would protect the community from him. Judge Thomas Lilley agreed with the arguments of the prosecutors and held the defendant on a no bond hold.
“Judge Lilley made the right decision to hold Rico-Ruvira in custody, and my office will continue to invest our best legal resources to ensure the violent defendant remains behind bars,” said Attorney General Balderas.
Rico-Ruvira is alleged to have strangled Isela Sanchez to death, leaving her seven-year-old daughter alone in the house with Isela’s body. It is alleged he then took their three-year-old son O.R. to Mexico, and an Amber Alert was issued. The New Mexico Office of the Attorney General immediately initiated extradition proceedings, Rico-Ruvira was arrested in Mexico, and then extradited back to the United States to face the allegations.
Rico-Ruvira is alleged to have strangled Isela Sanchez to death, leaving her seven-year-old daughter alone in the house with Isela’s body. It is alleged he then took their three-year-old son O.R. to Mexico, and an Amber Alert was issued. The New Mexico Office of the Attorney General immediately initiated extradition proceedings, Rico-Ruvira was arrested in Mexico, and then extradited back to the United States to face the allegations.
“I am glad to be one step closer to justice for Isela and grateful for the collaborative prosecution with the Attorney General’s Office,” said District Attorney Dianna Luce.
Although Rico-Ruvira has been indicted, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial. This case is being prosecuted by District Attorney Dianna Luce in partnership with Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Gardner.
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