SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico Supreme Court has upheld a man’s murder convictions stemming from two killings that occurred in separate Albuquerque home invasions the same day.
The justices’ rulings Monday upheld Jesus Suarez’s murder convictions in the Feb. 25, 2013 killings of Robert Kinter early that morning and Michael Garris that evening.
Suarez’s appeals argued that he received ineffective trial representation because his trial defense lawyer didn’t try to have one jury hear both cases together so he could claim that he was framed by a gang for both killings.
The justices’ two unanimous rulings on the two cases said it wasn’t evident Suarez had ineffective assistance of counsel and that there was no indication the outcomes would have been different if the cases had been joined for trial.
