QUESTA, N.M. – A new state law is being put to the test for the first time in a New Mexico courtroom. William Brown is the first adult in our state to go to trial on charges related to Bennie’s Law.

Police say Brown’s son shot and killed a 13-year-old girl inside Brown’s home in Questa last year. Brown is charged with negligently making a firearm accessible to a minor.

A 911 dispatcher was the first witness to take the stand Tuesday. During her testimony, the jury heard the 911 call made after the shooting. On that call, teenagers initially claimed it was a drive-by shooting. 

A New Mexico State Police agent testified that officers determined both Brown, and his son, should be arrested within a few hours of them arriving on scene and interviewing witnesses. 

The State Police agent says he saw numerous guns laying out in the open inside the house.