A white New Mexico cop with a red devil tattoo on his forearm was convicted on manslaughter charges in February for shooting and killing a 36-year-old Black man named Presley Eze in 2022, who had been accused of shoplifting a $2.39 can of Budweiser from a gas station convenience store.

But a state judge rejected the jury’s decision granting former Las Cruces Police Officer Brad Lunsford a new trial.

New Mexico District Judge James B. Foy claimed the evidence presented during the eight-day trial was “weak in proof,” essentially nullifying the jury’s verdict.

But now it’s been revealed that Lunsford was not only texting fellow officers during his criminal trial who were in the courtroom to support him that week — including his police chief — he later deleted those messages to keep them fr

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