ALBUQUERQUE – Prosecutors are reviewing a 155-page report detailing the criminal investigation into the death of an inmate at the Bernalillo County jail earlier this year.
The Albuquerque Journal also reports that Metropolitan Detention Center Chief Ralph Fernandez’s internal investigation into the Feb. 2 death of 37-year-old Vicente Villela is pending.
Villela died as several correctional officers allegedly held him down in a prone position in a cell hours after he had been booked into jail.
The Journal says the incident was captured on video from a hand-held camera.
An attorney representing Villela’s family says Villela died from excessive force.
A spokesman for the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office says videos, witness statements and other documents must be thoroughly investigated before a decision on possible prosecution is reached.
