NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The State of New Mexico could be held liable for a killing after mistakenly releasing a dangerous inmate: that’s according to the state Supreme Court which paved the way for the victim’s family to sue the state prison system.
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The decision surrounds Christopher Blattner who was accused of killing a woman in 2012 while he was supposed to be locked up. Nearly a decade ago, Blattner pled no contest to the killing of his neighbor, Kathy Paquin, in 2012. “The daughter I’ve been working with is the daughter of Mrs. Paquin. Her mother was brutally killed by a prisoner who had a history of felonies, who had previously murdered someone, and who should have been behind bars for the next three years,” said Adam Flores, an attorney representing the family.