Murder trial postponed in Muleshoe woman's slaying

PORTALES -- A murder trial scheduled to begin Monday in connection with a 2020 shooting death of a Muleshoe woman has been postponed.

The defense attorney for Keith Cordova told the court she was surprised to see “important, time-sensitive information pertaining to Defendant’s case” on Nov. 1 and needed additional time to consult with her client.

Court records do not specify the reason for the surprise.

Judge Donna Mowrer granted the request for a continuance from attorney Marie Legrand Miller. A new trial date was not immediately scheduled.

Cordova and co-defendant Francisco Bustamante were originally scheduled to be tried together, both charged with murder in connection with Oct. 13, 2020, shooting death of Jaime Edgmon.

Prosecutors believe they killed the woman after she witnessed an unrelated shooting and feared she would tell police what she’d seen.

Bustamante reached a plea deal with prosecutors on July 26. He pleaded guilty to harboring or aiding a felon, tampering with evidence and transportation or possession of a firearm by a felon and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.