Fugitive's downfall: Letter to governor

SANTA FE (KRQE) - Gov. Susana Martinez says a foolish mistake and a little luck helped authorities in Mexico capture a fugitive accused of murdering a child in a drive-by shooting in Clovis.

After more than six years on the run, Noe Torres is now in a Mexican jail and will soon be back in the U.S.

Torres was found at a religious compound in Mexico City just days after Martinez slipped a file on the wanted to Gov. Cesar Duarte of the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

Torres had written to Martinez asking for her help in getting the charges against him dropped. The letter--addressed to the "governess" of New Mexico, arrived one day before Martinez was scheduled to meet with Duarte and four other Mexican governors at a Jan. 19 economic-development summit in Pojoaque.

In it he asked for help having his charges for murdering a 10 year old boy dropped.

"This guy wanted me to send him a message, and he wanted me to send him a message through the media," Martinez said at a news conference Tuesday. "Well, Noe, here is my message through the media: I don't help child killers."

Torres and three other men were charged with shooting into a Clovis apartment in September 2005 and killing 10-year-old Carlos Perez while he slept.

Police said an older brother was the intended target.

Torres then took off, but over the years he has taunted police and the news media with phone calls professing his innocence and claiming he was going to turn himself in.

Martinez said Chihuahua's governor promised fast action on the tips U.S. marshals had received about Torres and then delivered in six days. Mexican authorities arrested him on Jan. 25.

They waited to announce the arrest to protect officers who captured him.

Edward Salas was convicted and sentenced to serve more than 50 years for his role in the murder but escaped from the Curry County Detention Center in 2008.

He was believed to be in Mexico with Torres raising the question of where is he now.

Carlos Perez's sister joined in Martinez's news conference and thanked everyone involved in finding her brother's accused killer.