New Mexico Supreme Court vacates felony murder conviction of Mawu Ekon Revels

The New Mexico Supreme Court has vacated the felony murder conviction of Mawu Ekon Revels, who was found guilty of shooting and killing Nicodemus Gonzales at a house party in 2021. The court's unanimous ruling stated that aggravated assault cannot be used to elevate a homicide charge to felony murder, rendering Revels' conviction legally invalid. In addition to vacating the murder conviction, the court also overturned one of Revels' conspiracy convictions due to insufficient evidence and found that a four-year sentence enhancement for firearm use was incorrectly applied, as the law stipulates a one-year enhancement for juvenile defendants. The case has been sent back to the district court for resentencing, where Revels may face a retrial for felony murder or lesser charges. At the time of the incident, Revels was 17 years old and had been sentenced to 25.5 years in prison. The court emphasized that double jeopardy protections prevent a retrial for willful, deliberate first-degree murder since he was acquitted of that charge.