State appeals court upholds conviction of man who killed 12-year-old
Brandon Villalobos was convicted of killing a 12-year-old boy but his attorneys appealed it. The state appeals court has now ruled.
SANTA FE, N.M. — A New Mexico man will stay in prison and serve time for killing a 12 year old more than a decade ago.
Brandon Villalobos was 15 years old when he killed Alex Madrid and left his body in an empty lot in Meadow Lake in 2014.
A jury convicted Villalobos in 2020 and a judge sentenced him to 15 years. He appealed the conviction for multiple reasons – mostly for not getting a speedy trial but also competency issues.
The New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld the conviction Wednesday.