Bernalillo County Clears Rape Kit Backlog and Charges 34 Suspects
A statewide audit in 2016 revealed more than 5,000 untested rape kits sitting in the New Mexico state crime lab, with the vast majority originating right out of Bernalillo County. Today, the local Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, or SAKI, unit reports that those numbers have shifted dramatically, with new forensic testing and case reviews helping prosecutors charge 34 people since 2023.
We investigate and prosecute when we can, cold rape cases from the rape kit backlog,
said Deputy District Attorney Jack Jacks.
With the original backlog effectively cleared, the SAKI unit has shifted its focus toward secondary reviews of 22 additional cases. Investigators are running modern DNA screens on these files to identify potential matches and connections that can move forward in court.
Modern technology sits at the center of these prosecutions. For example, investigators recovered evidence directly from the steering wheel of a school bus to tie a former Albuquerque Public Schools bus driver to an assault.
Taking evidence off the steering wheel of a bus to match up the DNA. That’s an example of how important this is because we hold that person responsible, and he’s I think he’s doing 57 years. He’ll die in prison,
District Attorney Sam Bregman told regarding the conviction of former driver Ralph Martinez.
Financially, the SAKI unit has operated with $2 million from the state alongside $2.8 million in federal grant funding secured since 2023. County leaders note that this money directly supports the screening, staffing, and secondary testing required to tackle decades-old evidence.
This is too important for too many people, and we’re going to keep doing everything we can to fund it,
Bregman said.
The human toll of these crimes remains a driving factor for prosecutors. The trauma and pain that happens from an act of violence, sexual violence like these survivors have been through? It doesn’t go away, whether it’s two years ago, whether it’s 20 years ago, or in some cases 30 years ago,
Jacks said.
Looking ahead, Bernalillo County leaders aim to prevent future backlogs by extending assistance to smaller jurisdictions that lack the resources to handle complex cold cases independently. Under updated state law, state laboratories must now test any newly submitted sexual assault kit within 180 days of receipt.
