Two convicted on murder charges

Saturday, Jan. 17, 1998 | 9:23 a.m.

The jury in District Judge Don Chairez's courtroom deliberated only an hour Friday before determining that the pair was guilty of killing Manuel Monpie with a shotgun blast in the face and four shots from a .22-caliber pistol.

Rudiberto Guerrero was arrested a short time later. He had three shotgun shells in his pocket.

His son, Alberto Guerrero, surrendered more than a week later after fleeing to Colorado and then Kansas. Trial testimony indicated the pistol used in the shooting was registered to Alberto Guerrero.

A penalty hearing will begin Tuesday to determine if the punishment should be life in prison with or without the possibility of parole after 40 years.

At the time he was killed, the victim had a blood-alcohol level of 0.18 percent -- nearly twice the legal limit for drunken driving.

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