
A Deming man was sentenced Tuesday for his role in the murder of a Deming teen in 2008.
District Court Judge Daniel Viramontes said the plea agreement entered into by 21-year-old Joshua Tena was accepted by the court; Tena pleaded guilty to two counts of tampering with evidence in the November 2008 death of 15-year-old Luther Lopez Garcia.
In exchange for pleading guilty to the two counts and testifying truthfully against co-defendant Alvar Aguirre, the charge of accessory to commit murder was dropped.
Tena was sentenced to three years on each count to run concurrently... and Viramontes said he had fulfilled his time because he had been incarcerated since the murder.
Garcia's body was found in the bushes near the river bed off Peru Mill Road northwest of Deming on November 7th, 2008.
An autopsy report revealed he had been shot multiple times -- and any of four of the wounds could have been fatal.
Garcia's vehicle -- a 1997 white-colored Chevrolet Tahoe -- was found abandoned in the 1200 block of Apache Hills Northwest.
The tampering with evidence charges are for attempting to hide the body and moving the vehicle.
Aguirre was acquitted of all charges by a jury in November of last year.
Garcia was a sophomore at Deming High School who would have turned 16 the month he was killed.