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 News from Around the Americas | June 2007 
Judge Postpones Hearing for Agent Accused of Killing Mexican Man
 Chris Kahn - Associated Press
| | Senior Border Patrol Agent Joe McCraw begins to take the saddle off of Felix, a wild horse, at the end of a day of training at the Border Patrol facility south of Colville, Wash. Descendants of the same horses that carried soldiers, prospectors, Plains Indians and Spanish conquistadors will be deployed next month by the federal government to help patrol the most rugged reaches of the northern border. Billed as operation 'Noble Mustang,' the U.S. Border Patrol believes this new team of wild horses, including Felix, will not only tighten security but also save taxpayer dollars. (The Spokesman-Review/Holly Pickett) |
Bisbee, Ariz. - A judge on Friday postponed a hearing in which prosecutors were to present evidence telling him why a Border Patrol agent should be charged with murder for killing an illegal immigrant during a confrontation in January.
Judge David C. Morales continued the preliminary hearing until Aug. 6 after Agent Nicholas Corbett's attorney said he hadn't received usable audio recordings of witness statements. Attorney Sean Chapman said he also hadn't received all the transcripts of witness statements.
Cochise County Attorney Ed Rheinheimer filed a range of charges against Corbett, including first- and second-degree murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide.
But Rheinheimer left it to Morales to decide which is supported by the evidence.
Investigators say Corbett, 39, shot Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera, 22, of Puebla, Mexico, on Jan. 12 as he tried to capture him, his two brothers and a sister-in-law near the Mexican border outside Naco.
The shooting drew condemnation from the Mexican government.
Corbett has described it as an act of self-defense. According to investigators, he told colleagues he shot at a man who looked like he was going to throw a rock.
But more than 300 pages of documents released by Rheinheimer's office show that the agent's claims conflict with witness accounts and forensic evidence. Dominguez's relatives told investigators Corbett fired while pushing Dominguez to the ground.
"We have concluded that the evidence shows that at the time he was shot, Mr. Dominguez Rivera presented no threat to Agent Corbett," he said in April.
Judge to Decide Charges Against Agent
Associated Press
Phoenix - Prosecutors prepared to tell a judge Friday why a Border Patrol agent should be charged with murder for fatally shooting a Mexican man just north of the border.
Cochise County Attorney Ed Rheinheimer filed a range of charges against Border Patrol agent Nicholas Corbett, including first- and second-degree murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide.
But the prosecutor left it to Judge David Morales to decide which charge is supported by the evidence.
Investigators say Corbett, 39, shot Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera, 22, on Jan. 12 as he tried to capture Dominguez, his two brothers and a sister-in-law outside Naco.
The shooting drew condemnation from Mexico's government. Corbett says he acted in self-defense.
According to investigators, he told colleagues he shot at a man who looked like he was going to throw a rock. Dominguez's relatives told investigators Corbett fired while pushing Dominguez to the ground, according to documents released by prosecutors. |
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