Bill nixed for ending murder time limit

SANTA FE (AP) - A proposal by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez to eliminate time limits for prosecuting homicides has stalled in a Senate committee and is likely dead for the session.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6-2 on Thursday to put the measure on hold, which likely means it will die because the session ends next week.

The measure would remove the statute of limitations on homicides such as manslaughter, vehicular homicide and second-degree murder. There's already no limit on when someone can be charged with first-degree murder.

Currently, a person can't be prosecuted for second-degree murder more than six years after the crime.

Opponents object to allowing prosecutions many years after a crime because eyewitness accounts and other evidence may become unreliable with the passage of time.