A federal jury convicted two former Jal Police Department officers of violating the civil rights of a man identified as John Doe in the indictment .

During the July 2021 incident, John Doe died while in custody. The verdict came after a seven-day trial and about 13 hours of deliberation.

Former Jal police officers Ceasar Enrique Mendoza, 28, and Robert Edward Embly, 43, were convicted on three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law each, specifically use of unreasonable force, failure to intervene, and deliberate indifference to John Doe’s serious medical need.

Following the verdict, the Court ordered that Mendoza and Embly remain on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Mendoza and Embly each face up to 10 years in prison per count of conviction.

Former Jal police officer Corey Patrick Saffell, 35, pleaded guilty to three counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, specifically unlawful arrest, failure to intervene and deliberate indifference to serious medical needs Sept. 10, 2024. Saffell faces up to 30 years in prison and remains on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been set.

Man dies after former Jal officers place him in custody

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on July 31, 2021, Saffell stopped John Doe for driving without headlights at the Pilot Gas Station in Jal. Mendoza and Embly arrived shortly after, a news release from the New Mexico Dept. of Justice read.

"The situation quickly escalated when Saffell accused John Doe of presenting false identification," the release read. "John Doe was subsequently handcuffed and forced into a small cage in Saffell's K9 unit, where an aggressive dog was barking.

"When John John Doe struggled to enter the small space, Mendoza deployed his taser on John Doe 13 times while Saffell yelled at him to keep tasing John Doe. The men then moved John Doe to Embly’s patrol car with a full backseat, where he was tased a 14th time."

At no point during the incident did John Doe, who was handcuffed throughout the entire encounter, attempt to flee, make threats or aggressive statements, or act combatively to Saffell, Mendoza, or Embly, according to the Dept. of Justice. After placing John Doe in the back of Embly’s unit, none of the officers checked on or monitored him, as they were trained to do after deploying their taser on him, according to the news release.

At the jail, the men "dragged John John Doe’s limp, unconscious body" into a cell and laid him on his stomach while still handcuffed, the release read. Despite John Doe’s deteriorating condition, including appearing unconscious and having urinated on himself, the men did not seek medical attention. The first time any of the officers requested medical attention for John Doe was only after it was determined he had stopped breathing and had no pulse. At that time, the officers finally commenced life-saving measures. John Doe was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. on July 31, 2021, according to the Dept. of Justice.

U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office Raul Bujanda made the announcement Feb. 27.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Hobbs Police Department, Carlsbad Police Department, Lea County Sheriff’s Office, Jal Police Department and New Mexico State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matilda McCarthy Villalobos and Marisa A. Ong are prosecuting the case.