The recent arrests of juvenile suspects 鈥� including an 11-year-old boy 鈥� in connection with a 2024 hit-and-run homicide in Albuquerque have rattled the Roundhouse in the final days of this year鈥檚 60-day session.
Several lawmakers cited the case Thursday in discussion of a youthful offender bill that critics said does not go far enough to address a recent increase in violent crime involving juveniles.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really disappointing to me this is all we could come up with,鈥� said Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho. 鈥淭his can鈥檛 be the answer.鈥�
Even the bill鈥檚 Senate sponsor, Democrat Antonio 鈥淢oe鈥� Maestas of Albuquerque, acknowledged it had become a 鈥減olitical football鈥� after a House committee added monthly stipends of up to $2,000 for former juvenile delinquents.
Those stipends, which had been referred to as 鈥渉omicide scholarships鈥� by some GOP lawmakers, were stripped out of the bill late Wednesday by a Senate committee.
During Thursday鈥檚 debate in a different Senate committee, Maestas said he was only made aware of the stipends after they had been added to the bill.
But he said the measure, , would still make improvements to the current juvenile code, including extending the length of probation for released underage defendants from 90 days to six months.
鈥淭his gives more flexibility and strength to judges鈥� discretion,鈥� Maestas said of the legislation.
But the bill was voted down on a 13-24 vote shortly after midnight Friday morning, after several attempts to amend it were rejected. Twelve Democrats ended up joining with most Senate Republicans in casting "no" votes.
"If we don't pass this bill, we are going to go home on both sides of the aisle with zero bills dealing with juvenile justice and public safety with regard to young people," Maestas said shortly before the vote.
Indeed, several other more sweeping proposals to crack down on juvenile crime have also stalled during this year鈥檚 60-day session.
That includes a bill backed by Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman that for violent juvenile offenders. That bill, House Bill 143, stalled in a House committee amid concerns about the rehabilitation of youthful defendants.
However, supporters of such legislation have expressed alarm over a recent increase in juvenile crime in New Mexico, even as overall violent crime and property crime have decreased statewide.
Specifically, a top deputy in the Bernalillo County District Attorney鈥檚 Office recently told lawmakers there was a 57% increase in cases involving juvenile criminal defendants from 2022 to 2023.
Those figures have taken on different dimensions this week, after Albuquerque police officers arrested three juveniles in connection with the May 2024 death of 63-year-old Scott Habermehl in Northeast Albuquerque.
Habermehl was biking to work when he was struck by a stolen vehicle. The three boys arrested in the case in which they discussed intentionally hitting Habermehl.
An Albuquerque Police Department spokesman said this week the juveniles 鈥� a 16-year-old, 13-year-old and 11-year-old 鈥� were identified after detectives learned about the video, which had been posted to social media.
The governor and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller both condemned the incident, with Lujan Grisham saying lawmakers鈥� refusal to seriously address juvenile crime during this year鈥檚 session was 鈥渦nacceptable.鈥�
On the Senate floor later Wednesday, Sen. Nicole Tobiassen, R-Albuquerque, read the names of victims killed by juvenile offenders and asked colleagues to observe a moment of silence.
That included Bennie Hargrove, whose 2021 death on the grounds of Albuquerque鈥檚 Washington Middle School prompted lawmakers .
鈥淭his is something we need to remember in this body as we鈥檙e passing legislation,鈥� Tobiassen said.