James pleads innocent
Faces charge of first-digree murder in Piñon Aparttment shooting

By Bill Donovan
Staff Writer

Brenden James

GALLUP — Brenden James made his first appearance in a Gallup courtroom Monday, entering a plea of innocent at his arraignment before Magistrate Judge John Carey.

James, 19, was arrested Friday by armed police and FBI agents in his car for the killing of Kevin James, 20, of Breadsprings, the day before.

McKinley County District Attorney Karl Gillson argued that the nature of the crime and the fact that James lives outside Gallup and is a flight risk necessitated a high bail. Carey agreed to Gillson's suggestion that bail be set at $500,000 cash.

The entire proceeding took less than four minutes but Carey was prevented from continuing hearings for other inmates for another seven minutes as about a dozen of James' relatives, many of them crying, hugged him and wished him well before he was led out of the courtroom.

Gillson said after the hearing that James will probably get a public defender from Albuquerque's unit that represents those who face life in prison or the death penalty. James has been charged with first-degree murder.

His next appearance in court will probably be at a preliminary hering which is now scheduled to be held within the next 10 days. Gillson said it's possible that because of the "smorgasborg of evidence" that police have accumulated over the past four days, his defense attorney may waive the preliminary hearing.

No motive has been made public as to why a night out between the suspect and his victim ended up with James allegedly pulling out a gun and shooting Begay in front of the Piñon Hills Apartments on Dairy Drive Thursday night.

Gillson commended the 20 or so law enforcement officers from the city, Sheriff's Department, FBI and the regional drug task force for the work they did in investigating the incident and placing James under arrest without incident.

There is reason to believe, he said, that when he was arrested James was on his way to Shiprock and was trying to flee the area.