Sanchez hearing delayed

July 13, 2009

District Attorney Lemuel Martinez requested a continuance of Friday’s hearing of the murder case against Luke Sanchez, citing a need for more time to investigate the matter, according to a Belen Magistrate Court employee.

The delay was granted by Judge Danny Hawkes, with a new hearing scheduled for August 11.

Martinez, who is an elected official, has been pressured by journalists’ questions and constituents’ calls to drop the murder charge. Sanchez was arrested July 4 after shooting an alleged burglar near Enchanted Propane in Belen.

The 911 call received by the county’s emergency dispatch center tells the story.

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