Former NMSU basketball player goes to trial

Former New Mexico State University basketball player and alleged participant in the 2022-2023 hazing incident Deshawndre Washington has had his request to reinstate his former lawyer blocked by the New Mexico Supreme Court and his jury trial is now set for October.

The court denied a petition from Washington to reinstate his Texas-based lawyer David Mestemaker. Mestemaker was disqualified by District Judge Conrad Perea after he held a press conference that the judge said was “done with the intent to reach and contaminate as many potential jurors as possible” and that the actions “constitute a gross and malicious impropriety.”

 Mestemaker likened the 2022-2023 hazing events to “horseplay” and not different from “towel snapping” that he remembers from when he played team sports, according to legal documents.

Alongside this decision, the New Mexico Supreme Court also ruled against another request in Washington’s petition to move the trial back to allow the defense to have what more time to build what they called a fair defense. Washington’s lawyer for this petition — Michael Cain, who was co-counsel for the criminal case — claimed that since there was a change in lawyers, he needed more time to build a proper defense.

Washington has been charged with criminal sexual penetration, five criminal sexual contact charges, seven false imprisonment charges and other conspiracy charges. The two other players accused of assaulting former team members took plea agreements.

Washingtons jury trial is required to take place between October 20th and the 24^th of this year.