Judge rules murder charges for Otero County Sheriff’s deputy can move forward

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A judge ruled there is enough evidence to move forward with first-degree murder charges against an Otero County Sheriff’s deputy.

Prosecutors charged deputy Jacob Diaz-Austin with first-degree murder in January. Diaz-Austin is accused of killing 17-year-old Elijah Hadley on June 25, 2024.

According to the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, dispatchers sent Diaz-Austin to check on Hadley that day. Diaz-Austin reportedly saw Hadley walking along Highway 70 and shot him 15 times after he dropped his pellet gun.

The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office took over the case from the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office due to a conflict.