Mexican national sentenced to life in prison for 2019 murder of mother of New Mexico police officers
NM crime occurred during attempted burglary, remained unsolved for months, gained national attention
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Mexican national convicted of the 2019 slaying of the mother of two New Mexico State Police officers in a case that drew national attention has been sentenced to life in prison.
Luis Talamantes-Romero also received an additional prison term of 26½ years on Wednesday for eight other felony convictions in the death of Jacqueline Vigil.
He declined to address the court before his sentencing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Talamantes-Romero, 35, was convicted in April of first-degree murder along with aggravated burglary, attempted armed robbery, tampering with evidence, conspiracy and other charges.
FORMER NEW MEXICO GOP CANDIDATE INDICTED IN SHOOTING SPREE AT DEMOCRAT OFFICIALS' HOMES
A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the killing of a mother of two New Mexico State Police officers.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Authorities said Vigil, 55, was killed outside her northwest Albuquerque home in an attempted burglary in November 2019. She was shot in her driveway as she prepared to leave for a gym.
The case went unsolved for months, drawing the attention of then-President Donald Trump as he pushed his tough-on-crime agenda. Vigil’s family also traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Trump.
Prosecutors said the crime was random as Talamantes-Romero and a passenger drove around Vigil’s upscale neighborhood looking for cars to burglarize.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The man who was with Talamantes-Romero when Vigil was shot agreed to testify against him as a condition of his plea agreement with the state on charges unrelated to the murder, according to authorities.