A Marion man accused of killing a police officer over 1,500 miles away is set to spend the rest of his life in federal prison.

A South Carolina man pleaded guilty Friday to charges that he gunned down a New Mexico state police officer who had stopped to help him, marking a turning point in a case that had been set for trial later this year.

There are more than 1,700 miles separating Dillon County from New Mexico’s capital city, but officials in both communities have been side-by-side for nearly a year in the wake of a brutal cross-country crime spree that took the lives of first responders in both.

A man has pleaded guilty to killing New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare on Interstate 40 near Tucumcari in March.

A South Carolina man pleaded guilty Friday to gunning down a New Mexico State Police officer who had stopped to help him with a flat tire last year.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A New Mexico State Police officer is being recognized for saving the life of a newborn baby boy in July 2023.

Federal Prosecutors are considering the death penalty in the case against South Carolina man who is accused of killing New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare. Jaremy Smith, 33, of Marion, South Carolina,