AG Balderas: Man Who Committed Double Murder in Clovis to Stay in Prison; Supreme Court Affirms Murder Convictions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 30, 2017

Contact: James Hallinan (505) 660-2216

Clovis, NM – Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that Enrique Deleon will stay in prison for the double murder of Guadalupe Castaneda and Joe Valero that he committed while a five-year-old girl was in a nearby car. The Supreme Court agreed with the Office of the Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Division and affirmed Mr. Deleon’s murder convictions for which he received a sentence of life in prison for each murder. Deleon murdered the couple in Clovis after a fight at a family cookout.

“Keeping New Mexico’s most dangerous, violent offenders behind bars is critical to keeping our neighborhoods safe across our state,” said Attorney General Hector Balderas. “My office will continue to vigorously fight to keep the worst of the worst offenders in prison to protect our children and families. I want to thank the district attorney and law enforcement in Curry County for their work obtaining a conviction in this case, and I am pleased that the court validated that conviction on appeal.”

Please see attached for a photo of Deleon and the Supreme Court opinion.

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