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tree and placed on a wagon attached to a team of horses. Antonio Abad
Herrera, the county sheriff and executioner, didn't want to tie her arms, so when the wagon began moving she was able to grab hold of the noose. Herrera attempted to pull her downward, but the crowd prevented him from doing so and
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over the death of her lover, Miguel Martin, who was a married father of five and also came from a prominent family. According to the case put forward by the prosecution, Angel was upset because Martin had told her he was going to end their affair, so she lured him to one final meeting and then
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and thus not premeditated. The jury disagreed with that line of reasoning, finding her guilty, and
Benedict then sentenced her to death, the only available sentence under territorial law at that time. A short time later, Angel was granted the right to appeal to the
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to commemorate the 100th anniversary of her execution. Some sources have described Angel as the only woman to have been legally executed in New Mexico. This is in fact only true of New Mexico as a part of the United States – two
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Until 2008, there was no direct evidence that an execution had even been carried out, only folk and oral traditions. Historian Robert Tórrez found the original warrant for Angel's execution in the
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cut her free. There was potential for a riot, as some in the crowd believed that she was entitled to be released, but order was maintained and the second attempt was successful.
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of the warrant only included one side. When the original document was examined, Sheriff
Herrera's handwritten confirmation of execution was found on the reverse.
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of
California, but it initially appeared to contain nothing to suggest the sentence had been carried out. However, it was subsequently determined that the
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to only consider the charge of first-degree murder; they were prohibited from finding her guilty of a non-capital offence (murder of a lesser degree or
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74:(c. 1842 – April 26, 1861) was a Mexican-American woman executed for the murder of her lover. She was hanged from a
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357:"Territory of New Mexico vs. Paula Angel: One Woman's Tragic Journey through Territorial Justice in 1861"
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Angel was about 19 years old at the time of her death, and belonged to a "prominent" family in
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Myth of the
Hanging Tree: Stories of Crime and Punishment in Territorial New Mexico
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Myth of the
Hanging Tree: Stories of Crime and Punishment in Territorial New Mexico
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The case of Paula Angel received little contemporary attention due to the ongoing
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by later writers. Angel's lawyer tried unsuccessfully to delay her execution.
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stabbed him in the back with a knife she had concealed under her shawl.
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was granted, an action which has been criticised as lacking
474:. Santa Fe: Sunstone Press. pp. 397–399, 504-fn117.
446:"Paula Angel: The Only Woman Ever Hanged in New Mexico"
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American woman convicted of murder and legally executed
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has noted that her execution took place at a time of
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411:. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
155:were available, so she was instead tied to a
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527:19th-century executions by the United States
151:in Las Vegas on the morning of April 26. No
209:Angel's case was featured in an episode of
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195:of people of colour, both women and men.
122:, on the grounds that her actions were a
552:People executed by New Mexico by hanging
547:People convicted of murder by New Mexico
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187:in 1779, under Spanish colonial rule.
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557:American people executed for murder
470:Keleher, William Aloysius (2008) .
383:– via UNM Digital Repository.
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562:People from Las Vegas, New Mexico
517:1861 murders in the United States
472:Turmoil in New Mexico, 1846-1868
532:19th-century American criminals
390:"New Mexico Women: Paula Angel"
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444:Torrez, Robert (2013-11-05).
388:Shapland, Jenn (2018-10-01).
522:19th-century American women
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537:American female murderers
407:Tórrez, Robert J (2008).
183:women had been hanged in
131:. However, no concurrent
175:The Santa Fe New Mexican
129:New Mexico Supreme Court
542:Executed American women
450:New Mexico History.org
394:Southwest Contemporary
361:New Mexico Law Review
106:The presiding judge,
80:Las Vegas, New Mexico
56:Las Vegas, New Mexico
36:Las Vegas, New Mexico
353:Armijo, M. Christina
96:New Mexico Territory
86:Background and trial
431:Partial preview at
112:instructed the jury
100:first-degree murder
200:Huntington Library
170:American Civil War
481:978-0-86534-621-5
418:978-0-8263-4379-6
133:stay of execution
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397:. Retrieved
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212:Deadly Women
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116:manslaughter
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512:1861 deaths
337:Tórrez 2008
325:Tórrez 2008
313:Torrez 2013
301:Tórrez 2008
289:Tórrez 2008
277:Tórrez 2008
265:Armijo 2012
253:Armijo 2012
137:due process
72:Paula Angel
62:Nationality
23:Paula Angel
501:Categories
455:2021-11-27
399:2021-11-27
381:8093265318
219:References
157:cottonwood
147:Angel was
120:not guilty
76:cottonwood
49:1861-04-26
490:174040140
427:165082675
373:0028-6214
204:microfilm
193:lynchings
143:Execution
92:Las Vegas
185:Santa Fe
181:Puebloan
78:tree in
346:Sources
153:gallows
32:c. 1842
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164:Legacy
149:hanged
486:OCLC
476:ISBN
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413:ISBN
377:OCLC
369:ISSN
43:Died
29:Born
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