Court records show a man arrested for burglary died in the Metropolitan Detention Center less than 24-hours after his arrest.
The incident happened in February. Now, the family of Vicente Villela is protesting his death, saying he fell victim to cultural violence carried out by jail guards.
They’re asking MDC to make surveillance video of the events leading up to Villela’s death public.
“We are demanding the video be released because we want the truth to be told about what happened to Vicente,” said Selinda Guerrero with Millions for Prisoners New Mexico organization.
A death certificate rules the death as a homicide with a cause of death listed as asphyxia by physical restraint. Vicente has a long criminal history dating back to 2000 with charges including DWI and armed robbery.
