Albuquerque Journal
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Elton Richard, the decorated Marine serving a two-year prison sentence for killing a fleeing burglar, has been moved out of segregation.
Richard, 31, was moved late last month to the Springer Correctional Center, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Tia Bland said Monday.
The former Springer Boys’ School was revamped last year into a minimum-security facility specializing in male inmates who need treatment for alcohol or substance abuse, though there is no indication that Richard has such issues.
Richard had been kept in solitary confinement since arriving at the New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas after state District Judge Albert S. “Pat” Murdoch sentenced him Feb. 22 for voluntary manslaughter. Corrections officials said he was placed there because of the high-profile nature of his case and his perceived law enforcement history.
Richard is accused of chasing Daniel Romero, 34, a quarter-mile from Richard’s West Side home and shooting him Dec. 30, 2004, sometime after hearing a noise and finding Romero, high on cocaine, clad in black and armed with a sledgehammer or large mallet.
A motion to reconsider the controversial prison sentence is set for June 20.
Copyright 2008 Albuquerque Journal