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S IN ONE SECTION THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1970Jury Acquits MariaMaria Heffernan of this city was acquitted late 1* rida night of a charge of first de gree murder in the shooting death of the well-known physician, Dr. T. B. Williams, inHeffernan of Murderle, in-i al be:30byforelllalorttoea.nt,iv-toalengilltoaleibsthelitAllbywrs.ortngeettrsttheNovember, 1968.The jury, composed of nineBlack Family Honored atFarm Bureau ConventionG. P. Black, vice presidentand general manager of Price Black Farms Inc. of Arrey, hisMan Injured, BoatSunk When StormHits Butte LakeA sudden, violent rain anti wind storm caused havoc and considerable damage to boats in the Rock Canyon area of Elephant Butte Lake Saturday afternoonOne man was injured in ternally as he and others worked frantically to keepkout or has e a arki.apFt.rthun-asnes)m-ve-/lthall*•uldLateo.sGVm\i*ets,toriv3ibliehinga nd rsh • a av a lt;I *boats from smashing into each other and onto the shore in the high waves caused by the wind. Bob Bowers of Al buquerque was apparently crushed between two boats and was taken to St. Ann’s Hospital here before being transferred by plane to an Albuquerque hospital.Dave Underwood, president of Hot Springs National Bank, said that he and some acquaintances and friends hadtied up along shore on the west side of the lake for lunch. He said he and his wife had a “sort of premonition” and managed to movetheir boat to safety just before the storm struck from the east He helped other boaters fight to keep their boats intact during the storm which lasted from 30 to 45 minutes. A 24 foot boat owned by Ben Abruzzo of Albuquerque filled with water and sank It was refloated after the storm.A 37 foot excursion boat owned by Falls Land and De velopment Co., developers of Elephant Butte Estates, ap peared to have received the most damage The host's power driven steering mechanism was damaged and electrical wiring was burned out as efforts were made to protectboat against waves estimatedto rise as high as six feet dur ing the height of the storm.men and three women, who had been seated in less than three hours on Tuesday, took only 70 minutes to reach theirdecision announced at 10:28p.m. Friday night.The District Court trial before Judge Garnett R. Burksson, the late Kenneth Black, and their families were hon ored as the “1970 Farm Bureau Family at the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau Convention in Roswell Thurs day.The award, the first everpresented simultaneously to two members of a family, was accepted by Black and Ken neth's widow. Marian.Both recipients of the awardhave been prominent in Farm Bureau work for many years. Kenneth served as president of the Sierra County Farm and Livestock Bureau and was astate director of the New Mexico Farm Bureau at the time of his death in May at the age of 41. Prominent in civic and political affairs as well, he served two terms in the state legislature and two terms as Sierra Cou nt y Comm issioner among other positions. He was vice chairman of the Board of Regents of New Mexico State University at the time of his untimely passing.Kenneth also had been associated since 1951 with his father in developing the Price Clack Farm Guernsey dairy operation into one of the largest and best in the world. The father, in association with Robert B, Price of El Paso, started the dairy operation in 1932 with 75 cows Today the herd numbers over 3,000 head and has produced many worldmilk production records Bullsfrom the herd have won top honors in state and national shew competition. The Price-Black Farm herd today produces about 20,000 gallons ofmilk daily with a large«amount marketed in El Paso and Albuquerque.G. P. Black is a national director of The American Guernsey Cattle Club and also has held or holds directorship in many other organizations, Including the New Mexico Breeders Association and the NewMexico Milk Producers Association. He is a past president of the county schoolboard and past supervisor of the Soil Conservation District.was held in Reserve in Catron County, where it had been moved on approval of a change of venue from Sierra County requested by the defendant.Reports by witnesses in the packed courtroom stated thatmany in the courtroom applauded when the jury's verdict was announced.The defense attorneys, Glenn Neumever and Dan Sosa, both of Las Cruces, completed their case during Thursday afternoon and Friday morning Most of the witnesses were called to the stand by the defense to establish that the defendant had acted in self defense and to bring up incidents related to the stormy career and controversial character of Dr Williams. In this connection City Patrolman Jer-mry Privetts was called to the stand as the arresting officer in the case where Williams had allegedly kicked down aladies door a short time prior to the date that he was shotThe defendant was not called to the stand at any time during the trial.Only one witness, Sierra«rCounty Sheriff Charles Cox, was called to the stand by the prosecution in rebuttal be fore the defense lawyers andftrthe state, represented byProsecuting Attorney EldonDouglas, assisted by Assistant District Attorney Fred Smith, presented their final argu ments before the juryJudge Burks delivered his fi nal instructions to the jury' which retired to begin its de liberations at 9; 18 p.m. It was unofficially reported that the jury split 7 5 on its first bal lot, but soon reached a unan imous vote for acquittal with out much further discussionThere was no question of a death penalty being involved, as the State of New Mexico canceled capital punishment by action of the state legisia ture last vear The jurv couldhave found the defendant guilty of manslaughter, either voluntary or involuntary, un der the open charge of murder, but voted for acquittal on the murder charge This reportedly completes the case, as the state is not enabled to appeal the decision.Mrs. Heffernan had been free on $15,(XX) bond since her ar rest following the shooting onNovember 9, 1968. Dr Wiliiarns was found dead with a bullet wound in his chest near his car outside her home at618 Ivy Street A bullet hole was found in the back screendoor of the house. A bullet was removed from his body, and a 25 calibre automatic pistol was found which was impounded as having been the weapon used in the shoot mg.ATTENDS FUNERAL Mrs. Margaret Turtles has returned home from La Mesa•#iA ft
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Truth or Consequences Herald
Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico, US
Thu, Aug 06, 1970
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USA 29 Sep 2018
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