LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Prison officials said Monday the slaying of an inmate at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility appears to be gang related.
Freddie Sanchez of Roswell was unresponsive Sunday when guards found him while conducting a head count at the Las Cruces prison. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death.
Deputy Warden Lupe Martinez says Sanchez was killed during scheduled recreation time in a unit that houses 15 prison gang members. Sanchez and six other inmates had been allowed outside their cells in a dayroom.
The high-security units at the prison have been placed under lockdown.
The state police are handling a criminal investigation, while the state Corrections Department conducts a separate internal investigation.
Sanchez was serving a 15-month sentence for larceny, disposing of stolen property and conspiracy. He began serving his term in May 2005.