LAS VEGAS, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a Las Vegas man who was sentenced for stabbing a disabled elderly man to death in 2019.
A jury found Seig Isaac Chavez guilty of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in 2022. The body of 71-year-old William Smith was found with 24 stab wounds in August 2019.
A witness saw Smith get in Chavez’s truck the night he was murdered and his blood was found inside the truck and on Chavez’s jacket.
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During the trial, prosecutors plays a call between Chavez and his son that took place while Chavez was in jail. The Supreme Court ruled that audio recording of the call should not have been admitted as evidence during his trial and the recording “significantly affected the verdicts.”
In the jail phone call, Chavez told his son he was now the “man of the house” responsible for protecting others and repeatedly instructed the teenager to stab anyone in the throat who got close to him or tried to touch him. He also told the son, “Daddy’s going to prison,” according to the Supreme Court.
“The district court committed plain error by allowing the jury to hear evidence that was relevant only to Defendant’s propensity for violence. This evidence was highly inflammatory and deprived Defendant of a fair trial,” the court wrote in an opinion by Justice C. Shannon Bacon.
The court also ruled that Chavez could be retried. To read the decision, click here.