Smelser trial begins today, Desert Hope situation improves and Louisiana honors Pat Garrett

Smelser trial begins today

Two-and-a-half years after the man he detained died in his custody, Christopher Smelser will face a jury destined to decide if he is guilty of murder.

Before the two weeks of testimony commence today, the court made a few things clear.

Third Judicial Judge Douglas Driggers said there will be no signs or clothing with statements such as “Justice for Tony,” referring to the victim, Antonio Valenzuela, in the courtroom.

Conversely, the only uniformed police officers allowed in the courtroom will be those on duty. Friends and coworkers of Smelser, a former Las Cruces Police Department officer, will not be allowed to stuff the court with uniforms. Prosecutors said they feared such action would intimidate the family and the jury.

The warnings and rules end at the courtroom doors. Or, in this case, at the end of the 3rd Judicial District Courthouse parking lot. Across Main Street, organizers with NM CAFé plan to host a protest in support of Valenzuela’s family at Albert Johnson Park.

Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Justin Garcia, who covers public safety, crime and courts, has been following all of the twists and turns of this story since he started with the newspaper. Justin said:

As I prepared my notebooks and the stack of court documents needed for the Christoper Smelser trial, one of my coworkers strolled over to my cubicle to ask a question. The Sun-News newsroom is small and usually empty for those who don't know. Most of us work from home. But every once in a while, the ancient traditions of watercooler talk and office chatter reemerge like cicadas.

"Do you think we will learn anything new from the trial?" my coworker, Michael McDevitt asked. I thought about it for a few seconds. Indeed the answer was yes, I thought. Trials are hotbeds of new information and context disclosed by witnesses and experts.

"No," I told Michael. "I don't imagine we will."

So much of this story has already been reported. We know what happened the night the victim, Antonio Valenzuela, died underneath the pressure of Smelser's arm. We know what happened when Smelser pulled over Valenzuela's van. We know Smelser's training record. We know Valenzuela's family. We know that much of the community was outraged by the incident. So what is there left to find out? I guess we will see.

Desert Hope Apartments receive attention, resources

The city is planning to increase police presence and a new property manager wants to better enforce rules and policies at the Desert Hope Apartments after complaints about the condition of the property and the effect it’s had on the surrounding neighborhood.

Desert Hope, a 40-unit permanent supportive housing development for formerly unhoused residents, opened in August 2021 at 1310 Pecos St. As a permanent supportive housing complex, Desert Hope not only provides affordable, often subsidized rents for tenants but also on-site services to assist them with employment, food insecurity and healthcare needs.

Services are provided by the nonprofit Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, which has staff working at the complex to coordinate services.

The complex is owned by the Mesilla Valley Public Housing Authority. The MVPHA is tasked with managing the property, selecting tenants, processing leases and collecting rent.

Property management at Desert Hope has been described as infrequent to nonexistent as of late, according to some tenants and staff there, leading to unsanctioned visitors, unchecked disruptive behavior, litter, drug use and broken gates, bike pump and grill.

Over the past month or so, the complex has been at the heart of public discussions around the disparate issues of crime and homelessness in Las Cruces. Reporter Michael McDevitt, who covers city and county government for the Sun-News, has been following developments at Desert Hope closely. Michael said:

The updates I heard from various sources about the Desert Hope Apartments situation show that sometimes rattling the cage in local media is more effective at getting something changed than complaining to your councilor, the police or local agencies out of view of the public.

To report this story, I relied on several primary sources to cross-check mostly second-hand information stemming from a statement distributed by City Councilor Becki Graham. One statement should never be the be-all-end-all. A good reporter should always seek out confirmation, additional context and details.

Louisiana parish honors Sheriff Pat Garrett

A stretch of highway in Louisiana now honors Sheriff Pat Garrett, the famous southern New Mexico lawman. A similar endeavor to rename a street in Las Cruces failed in recent years.

The Louisiana State Legislature in 2021 designated the portion of Louisiana Highway 9 from Homer to Junction City, Louisiana, the “Sheriff Pat Garrett Memorial Highway.” A dedication ceremony was held in late May of this year.

Garrett grew up in Claiborne Parish, the part of Louisiana where his namesake highway now exists. After the deaths of his parents, he left Louisiana and eventually ended up in New Mexico.

Garrett is famous for being the lawman who killed the outlaw Billy the Kid in 1881, but he was also twice the sheriff of Doña Ana County and the sheriff of Lincoln County. His family owned two ranches in the Organ Mountains and some of his children graduated from Las Cruces High School. He was killed just east of Las Cruces in 1908.

This is also a story Michael covered. He said:

I think this Pat Garrett story demonstrates the ability of a good news story to localize and contextualize events that may be national and/or local to another place. 

The dedication of a Louisiana highway in Garrett’s honor not only allowed me to revisit a story from several years ago and inform readers who may have been unaware, but it allowed me to get in contact with people who were part of the story at the time to see if their thoughts on the situation remain the same, and what, if anything, has progressed in the years since.

On behalf of all of us at the Las Cruces Sun-News, thank you for taking the time to read this week's newsletter.

Damien Willis is a Lead Reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at 575-541-5443, dwillis@lcsun-news.com or @DamienWillis on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Smelser trial begins, Desert Hope improves, Louisiana honors Garrett