Conviction of New Mexico man who raped and killed 6-year-old girl upheld

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The New Mexico Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of the man who raped and killed a six-year-old girl. Leland Hust is serving a life sentence for the August 2018 murder of Ariana “Jade” Romero.

Hust appealed the verdict, partly because of problems during closing arguments. In particular, Hust criticized the prosecutor’s telling the jury to “get it done” and the defense’s inability to bring forward additional sexual assault allegations against another family member.