Ernest Jose Gallegos was found guilty on first degree murder in the 2004 Tanoan slaying of James Hogan, a 57-year-old Sandia Labs retiree.

Gallegos was also convicted of six other felony counts including kidnapping and armed robbery and likely will face life in prison, Albuquerque Journal reporter Jeff Proctor told us moments ago. A special sentencing hearing will take place at the end of February.

Prosecutors were unable to seek the death penalty in this case because Gallegos fled to Mexico after the killing. That country will not extradite murder suspects back to the United States unless the death penalty is taken off the table.

The prosecution ended its case Monday morning against 46-year-old Ernest Jose Gallegos in an Albuquerque courtroom, and the defense rested without calling a single witness.

Gallegos is accused of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges in the Aug. 24, 2004, killing of 57-year-old Sandia Labs retiree James Hogan.

Since the trial began last Tuesday, prosecutors called numerous witnesses, including Hogan's wife Carole, who told of being bound and taken upstairs in the couple's Tanoan home, while her husband was brutally killed.

Prosecutors have introduced more than 140 exhibits into evidence, including DNA evidence they say inextricably link Gallegos to the crimes, according to Proctor's story in this morning's Albuquerque Journal .

The defense ended up presenting just four exhibits into evidence -- photos of the Hogans' home -- before resting this morning, Proctor told ABQjournal.com.

Closing arguments could be done by lunchtime and the jury should get the case this afternoon, Proctor told us. 

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