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By : DEAN REEDERDavid . Tapia,.' 25, ' of 514CoalVSW, .was found: guilty nfsecond degree,murder^yesterday- by an Albuquerque Jury.. Tapia was accused of -'Jhe Oct'7 shooting- death of Tony Prado Chapa, 24, a. bartender at the Elbow Room Bar, 210 Second SW.Final arguments .by. the state almost ’turned the trial into a free-for-all ■ when. Asst. DisL Atty. Jack Love said, I can't \vork up any tears whatsoever for. this defendant, and' I submit- • to you there's,a dollar .sign for every tear that's' shed on that side of the counsel table/' He pointed to the defense table.Defense attorney . Charles Driscoll immediately askedDist. Judge John B. McManus lor a mistrial. Judge McManus said Mi§- Love’s remarks were in the record and noted. He denied the mistrial.Mr. Driscp]] then said, • “I ask the court, to instruct counsel not to make another remark like that. If he docs he may be physically attacked in this courtroom.”Judge McManus answered, You’ll have to got to him over me.”Well, I just might do that, Driscoll answered. He again asked the judge to order Love to. refrain from making more remarks about the defense.• Judge McManus told Driscoll he would line him $50 for contempt of court if. he didn’t sit down by the time he counted to three.Driscoll- sat down.J u dge‘ McManus brokecourtroom vprocedure to. allow defense attorney Iiorenzo Ta-1 pia to speak to the jury after Love's'-rebuttal statements.Mr. Tapia explained', he is related to; the defehdent' and that he was offering his-services’ -without dharge, •/'as - I would'for my brother, my mother,' or ariyr other member of my family.” Attorney Tapia told The Tribune he is a. cousin of. the. defendant.Inr. testimony 'yesterday,David Tapia testified he did not remember carrying a gun to the bar the day of the. shooting. Tapia's former girlfriend, Celia Sandoval, testified she forced, him. to go to the Elbow Room against his ivill and that he tried several times to shake hands with the bartender before the shooting.Tapia said Mr. Chapa and another man b e a't him severely several weeks before the shooting.Judge McManus ordered a pre-sentence report on Tapia, who could receive a 10-50 year prison sentence.
Newspaper Details
Albuquerque Tribune
Albuquerque, New Mexico, US
Thu, Mar 03, 1966
Page 44
Full Page
Clipped by
Greg P.
AU 21 Jun 2023
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