ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – On Monday, the trial for two Metropolitan Detention Center corrections officers begins. The two are charged in the case of the death of an inmate.
Keith Brandon and Jonathan Sandoval are charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of Vincente Villela in 2019.
Court documents say Brandon told Sandoval to sit on Villela while he was resisting officers.
Back in July, defense attorneys asked a judge to dismiss the charges. They argued Villela’s death could not be attributed to any single officer and a toxicology report found high levels of meth in Villela’s system.
The judge denied that motion, which set the stage for Monday’s trial. Jury selection is underway Monday. The trial is expected to last five days.
