New trial begins for man convicted of killing army veteran
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A trial is beginning for Matthew Chavez, who was convicted of killing army veteran Tyler Lackey eight years ago.
In 2016 Chavez shot and killed Lackey at an ATM near Gibson and Yale during an attempted robbery. A jury found Chavez guilty of second-degree murder and other charges and Chavez was sentenced to the maximum of 23 and a half years in prison.
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The attorneys for Chavez appealed, claiming the jury was not instructed on the option of voluntary manslaughter, which would have taken into account possible self-defense. At the original trial, the defense argued that Lackey had a gun and was trying to stop the robbery.
On Monday, prosecutors argued that Chavez was the only person to blame. Prosecutors say the force Lackey used was reasonable for the situation and that Lackey was trying to protect himself from being robbed. Meanwhile, the defense argued self-defense and that Chavez was trying to defuse the situation.
During the killing, both Chavez and Lackey had passengers in their cars and both are expected to retestify in the trial. Chavez’s trial is expected to resume on Wednesday morning.
