
NEWS: Billy the Kid comes to Otero County
Gonzalez’ first name was withheld.
The artwork was made out of wood pallets and features “Wanted” carved into wood, a rendering of Billy the Kid and the Organ Mountains.
“This is nice. This is really nice. The county appreciates everything you do down there,” Otero County Commission Chairman Gerald Matherly said to Otero County Prison Facility Warden Ricardo Martinez. “It’s beautiful.”
Gonzalez wanted to do an art project about New Mexico history and he chose Billy the Kid, Otero County Prison Facility director Nissi Jimenez said.
Billy the Kid (1859-1881) or Henry McCarty or William H. Bonney was born in New York and was killed at the age of 21 by gunshot in 1881 in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico.
He was a gunfighter who was known to have killed 27 men including a few during the Lincoln County War of 1878 -1881.
He was killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881.
From left are Otero County Executive Assistant Sylvia Tillbrook, Otero County Project Manager Trent Parker, Otero County Commission Chairmain Gerald Matherly and Otero County Prison Facility Ricardo Martinez standing with artwork made by an OCPF inmate August 10, 2020. Nicole Maxwell/Alamogordo Daily News
About Otero County Prison Facility
Otero County Prison Facility is accredited by the American Correctional Association—
achieving 100% compliance for both mandatory and non-mandatory standards in
its most recent audit. Other accreditations and certifications include the Correctional
Education Association and the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA).