The defense team for a Santa Fe County sheriff's deputy accused of shooting another deputy will not be using the victim's personnel records in their defense after a judge denied their request to have the documents released.
Tai Chan is accused of killing Santa Fe County Deputy Jeremy Martin in October after they went drinking in Las Cruces where they were staying after transporting a prisoner. Chan has pleaded not guilty to first degree murder.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that John Day, Chan's lawyer, says they plan to argue the killing was self-defense. He says the files would have helped show Martin's "proclivity to violence."
The prosecution called the request a "fishing expedition."
Judge Fernando Macias denied the motion on April 17.
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican.
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