The Death of Amber Hava and the Trial of Mick Sopyn
The former Mr. New Mexico, Mick Sopyn, will allegedly be tried for murder beginning April 3 at Judge Jeff McElroy’s district court. The Trial is set for five days. Deputy Prosecutor Ron Olsen will confront two New Mexico ace defense attorneys in the persons of John Day and Tom Clark, according to court documents. Sopyn, the onetime body-builder from Rinconada was co-founder of the Southside Spa, where he worked out and bulked up in the 80s and 90s alongside cops and the kings of iron and steroids (according to former employees).
Sopyn is accused of wielding the shotgun that killed Ms. Amber, 38. He will celebrate his 65th birthday on April 11.
In a Taos News story by Andrew Oxford, July 12, 2014, DDA Emilio Chavez, the first of three prosecutors in the case, alleged that there was “evidence of drugs and drug use at the residence” where Ms. Hava died. Ms. Hava herself had an extensive history of efforts aimed at drug rehab. According to the public record, neither Mr. Sopyn nor Mr. Medina, a witness, was tested for drugs or alcohol the night of the incident. Mr. Medina was spotted leaving the scene in his bloody clothes.
The Medical examiner’s report noted that Ms. Hava’s body bore the evidence of severe bruises incurred prior to her death. Further, the report states that the head, chest, and extremities were subject to “blunt” injuries: fifteen (15) in number, ranging in size from .16 of an inch to 5.12 of an inch. What could have happened?
The Problem of Justice
According to a timeline, Sopyn has been out on “conditions of release” in the northern New Mexico community, while traveling from Taos to Albuquerque. In Dec. of 2015, due to violations, he was confined to house arrest. But he has frequently continued to violate “conditions of release,” according to the District Attorney’s office, the Court, and Martinez Monitoring and Tracking Systems, which administers the GPS/Scram electronic bracelets (sometimes) attached to Mr. Sopyn.
Indeed, the DA’s office in Taos has moved to revoke conditions of release six (6) times and six (6) times Judge McElroy, despite prior threats to the contrary, released the so-called scofflaw Sopyn to continue engaging in what appears to be a lifestyle that includes “violations,” according to Martinez Tracking and law enforcement.
(Since Judge McElroy has vacated four trial dates for various and sundry reasons in the Sopyn case since 2014, who’s to say the trial will take place the week of April 3rd?)
In one particular incident while under house arrest, Sopyn was picked up for DWI in Albuquerque, where according to court records, on November 19, 2015, the cops arrested Mr. New Mexico for “aggravated DWI,” “Careless Driving,” and “Open Container.” The APD report says 19 open mini bottles of raspberry vodka were found in Sopyn’s vehicle and says he possessed $37,000.00 in cash. In a prior incident, according to court reports, he was tracked during late jaunts while joy-riding round town to casino parking lots and empty school grounds. Strange.
Later, after the conviction for aggravated DWI, and again, while on house arrest, he was picked up for violating the Albuquerque court’s “conditions of release.” Sopyn was jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center from Oct. 26, 2016 to Feb. 3, 2017.
The February 3, 2017 incident
On Feb. 3, 2017, according to Amy Romero, agent for Martinez Tracking, the young woman met Sopyn at 2 am, according to her report filed with the court. Sopyn was being released from the MDC and escorted by an officer.
Ms. Romero reports that “Mr. Sopyn IMMEDIATELY (sic) became agitated and angry that our Agency was there to install bracelets…Mr. Sopyn began to curse and yell at me and the officer, refusing to have the monitoring bracelets installed…I feared for my life.”
The officer then escorted Sopyn back to the facility and instructed Ms. Romero to speak with his supervisor.
Then Ms. Romero says, “Mr. Sopyn was escorted back out of the facility and was getting into Louanna’s vehicle. (Editor’s note: “Louanna” is apparently a friend of Sopyn’s.) “As Louanna assisted Mr. Sopyn into her vehicle, Mr. Sopyn turned around and flipped me off and yelled, `You Fuckin Bitch.’ Both Louanna and Mr. Sopyn drove away from the MDC facility without having any monitoring equipment on as directed by the Taos County District Court.”
Later Sopyn was picked up on a warrant and spent time in the Taos County lock-up from Feb. 7 to Feb. 16., 2017. Then Judge McElroy, once again, gave the miscreant “one more chance” to walk free on Feb. 16 though with the electronic bracelets attached.
Amber didn’t get “one more chance” on the night of July 11, 2014.