Convicted murderer to be in New Mexico transition program

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - An ex-convict who terrorized a couple in southwestern New Mexico, leading to the woman's death, is the first participant in a New Mexico inmate transition program.

KRQE-TV reports that the Department of Corrections has hired 40-year-old David VanHorn to be a kitchen cook at a Santa Fe state prison.

The job is part of a pilot initiative to help released inmates settle into life outside prison.

VanHorn was released in May from the state penitentiary in Santa Fe.

Authorities say a 20-year-old VanHorn ransacked a Virden couple's home in 1995 and then set it on fire with them inside. The woman died as a result.

Corrections secretary Gregg Marcantel says VanHorn has demonstrated positive behavior in prison.

But the victim's son says he wishes Van Horn would remain imprisoned.

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