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Defendant sent home after Jury returns verdict in Taos Murder Trial

The prosecution did not object to Manual Leyba going home after the jury returned a verdict of involuntary manslaughter after the fatal stabbing in Penasco. A sentence hearing is scheduled for June 2016.

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Peñasco man found guilty of involuntary manslaughter

Laurie Celine Updated May 20, 2016

Manuel Leyba of Peñasco was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by a jury (May 19) in the Eighth Judicial District Court before Judge Jeff McElroy in Taos. The verdict was based on an incident that happened when Leyba allegedly stabbed his 22-year-old cousin, Alex Vigil, the night of June 19, 2015. Leyba, 31, was charged with second-degree murder.

The events leading up to the murder began with a domestic altercation between Vigil and his girlfriend, Tysha Sandoval. Sandoval is the mother of James Leyba’s son, who is Manuel Leyba’s brother. Prosecutors Ron Olsen and David Thomas argued for second-degree murder, while Defense Attorney Stephen Aarons argued for innocence. The prosecutors and the defense attorney described the events leading up to the incident as intricate and complex family relations.

The jury was instructed to make the decision by examining four possible outcomes: not guilty, self-defense, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter, which it ultimately ruled on.

Copyright Taos News, reprinted with permission

[Editor’s Note: the four possible verdicts were: guilty of second degree murder, guilty of voluntary manslaughter, guilty of involuntary manslaughter and not guilty]

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