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New Mexico governor weighs pardon for Billy the Kid
Nearly 130 years after the death of Henry McCarty, alias William Bonney, but better known as Billy the Kid, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will take some of the final hours of his administration to decide whether to pardon the baby-faced gunslinger.Richardson will review evidence that in 1881, one of his predecessors promised to pardon Bonney for killing a sheriff in return for his testimony in a murder case. The record suggests that New Mexico territorial Gov. Lew Wallace later reneged on that promise. Richardson has promised a decision by Dec. 31, his final day in office. Richardson, who is in North Korea for talks aimed at defusing recent tensions after that country's recent artillery barrage on a South Korean island, has also solicited comment from citizens to help him make a decision, according to spokeswoman Alarie Ray-Garcia. "This is something the governor was saying he would consider pretty much since he's been in office," she said. He has made no commitment about whether he will grant the pardon. Richardson is preparing to turn over the reins of state government to Republican Susana Martinez, along with a roughly $300-million budget deficit and near-record unemployment. Posted by: tipper 2010-12-19 |
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