New Mexico Supreme Court bars ER statements from teen murder trial
The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that a teenager's emergency-room remarks cannot be admitted as evidence in the newborn murder case.
On Thursday the New Mexico Supreme Court affirmed a trial judge’s ruling that statements made by 19-year-old Alexee Trevizo in an emergency department must be excluded from evidence. Trevizo, who delivered a newborn in a hospital bathroom that was later found dead, told officers “I’m sorry, it came out of me” after doctors and police entered her room. Justice Michael Vigil wrote that her severe medical crisis and medication meant she lacked capacity to waive the physician-patient privilege, and that the physician improperly brought armed officers into the room.
The unanimous decision bars the alleged confession from the first-degree murder and child-abuse charges. The New Mexico Department of Justice expressed disappointment but said the case will continue toward trial. Trevizo’s attorney hailed the ruling as a win for women’s privacy rights.
Why it matters
It reinforces patient privacy by limiting the use of medical statements in criminal prosecutions.
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