NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A Mora man has taken a plea deal in the murder of his cousin’s partner. Twenty-five-year-old Alex Pacheco was set to go on trial Monday when he agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated battery.

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Prosecutors say last September, Pacheco shot his cousin Ben Montoya Jr. and Jermaine Jennings over a family dispute. Jennings died. Pacheco initially claimed self-defense, but prosecutors say there was no evidence Jennings or Montoya posed a threat.