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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Around New Mexico
Journal and Wire Reports
Stepdad Faces 300 Years For Molesting Stepdaughter
An Albuquerque man faces more than 300 years in prison after a jury convicted him of all but one of 30 counts involving the sexual molestation of his stepdaughter over a span of years that began when the girl was 6.
Jurors returned 30 guilty verdicts and one of not guilty late Tuesday against Eric Fierro, whose trial began Jan. 14 before state District Judge Charles Brown in Albuquerque.
Two additional counts were dismissed by a directed verdict before jurors began deliberating last Thursday.
Fierro, 37, was charged with molesting his stepdaughter from the time she was 6 until she turned 18. She gave birth to his child when she was 15.
Fierro has said that he had consensual sex with her but only when she was a teenager. She is now 24.
The case has been delayed 11 times, largely because of a revolving door of defense attorneys since his indictment more than four years ago.
Two in Wells Fargo Robbery May Be Linked to Others
Two men were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of robbing a Wells Fargo at 5555 Montgomery NE, and police believe they may be responsible for as many as 20 other recent bank robberies in the metro area.
The men had not yet been identified Tuesday, but FBI investigators believe they may be the "Circle Hat Bandits," so-called because they were caught on surveillance tape wearing a baseball cap with a white circle on it.
The Wells Fargo was robbed about 2:45 p.m., and the same bank was robbed Monday about 10 a.m. Police have not yet released a list of banks they believe the men robbed. Tuesday's robbery was the 14th in the metro area this year.
Follower Says She Won't Eat Until Bent's Release
SANTA FE — A follower of religious leader Wayne Bent says she has not eaten since Bent was sentenced Dec. 30 to 10 years behind bars for sex crimes against children.
Aquinnah O'Keefe — who goes by the name of Esther at Bent's Strong City compound in rural Union County — also told the Journal via telephone Tuesday that she will "stop sustaining her life" unless Bent is freed.
Her decision to go without food has prompted Bent to begin a fast, and he is asking for an "emergency release" from prison to meet with the woman.
Bent, 67, was convicted of one count of criminal sexual contact of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor involving two teenage sisters who lived at the compound in the summer of 2006. Bent and his followers believe he was wrongly convicted.
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