Friday, June 29, 2007

CORRECTION OF 2005 POST ABOUT REIES LOPEZ TIJERINA PARDON

This is to correct my June 7, 2005 post regarding the disposition of criminal charges against Reies Lopez Tijerina. Tijerina ws convicted in 1969 of assault with intent to kill Eulogio Salazar, the Deputy, as Salazar was trying to escape the Courthouse through a window in the office of the Sheriff.

Tijerina's conviction was affirmed, and he served six months of the sentence and was then paroled. Later, as Governor Jerry Apodaca left office, he pardoned Tijerina, ending further supervision under the possible ten year sentence and parole.

My error in 2005 was in stating that "Mr. Tijerina never served his term, because he was paroned by Governor Jerry Apodaca." That was inaccurate, and it was unfair to the Governor and to Tijerina. I apologize. In those days of indeterminate sentences, it was not unusual to see a prisoner released to parole after service of six months. The pardon is another matter, but obviously a pardon after the service of the six months is different from a pardon which avoids all service (where I erred).

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