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Los Lunas, N.M. • A judge has ordered that a 15-year-old New Mexico boy accused of killing his 12-year-old friend be held.
The teen went before a Valencia Country judge Thursday, two days after he was charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Sheriff Louis Burkhard says Alex Madrid, of Albuquerque, was found dead Tuesday in a field west of Los Lunas after his parents reported him missing. Burkhard says the boy appears to have died from severe trauma.
The teen's attorney, Cindy Mercer, didn't immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press.
Under New Mexico law, the state can charge minors as adults only if they are at least 14. The AP typically doesn't identify juveniles charged in crimes.