3 defendants released in New Mexico compound case

Authorities have confirmed three of the defendants arrested on child neglect charges in the New Mexico compound case have been released from jail after a judge dismissed charges against them due to a missed deadline by prosecutors.

The Taos County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Lucas Morton, Subhannah Wahhaj and Hujrah Wahhaj left the jail late Wednesday afternoon.

Prosecutors have other options for pursuing charges against the three, including seeking indictments from a grand jury.

Prosecutor John Lovelace declined to comment on how the district attorney’s office will proceed.

Two other defendants remain jailed on more serious charges of child abuse resulting in the death of a 3-year-old boy whose body was found at the compound earlier this month.

Father pleads not guilty

The father of a child found dead in the compound earlier this month has pleaded not guilty to new charges of child abuse resulting in death.

The dead boy’s father, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, and his partner Jany Leveille, who also is charged with the same crime, remained silent in court as the new charges were read.

The pleas followed a decision by a judge to dismiss initial child neglect charges against them. They were arrested this month at the compound.

Authorities say Wahhaj and Leveille denied the boy proper medicine and health care as he died in December 2017 during a religious ritual aimed at casting out demonic spirits.

Child neglect charges dismissed

Earlier Wednesday, a judge dismissed child neglect charges against the three defendants arrested at the compound.

Judge Emilio Chavez ruled that he had no discretion to keep the three defendants in custody since prosecutors missed a 10-day limit for an evidentiary hearing to establish probable cause for the neglect charges.

Prosecutors could still try to pursue charges by seeking an indictment from a grand jury.